Parliament Question: Cooperative banking in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1191 ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY, 2026/ 21 MAGHA, 1947 (SAKA) COOPERATIVE BANKING IN ODISHA 1191 SHRI MUZIBULLA KHAN: Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state: (a) the present status of cooperative banks and credit institutions in Odisha; (b) the steps taken to improve their financial health; (c) whether any new cooperative banks are proposed in the State; (d) the assistance provided for digitalisation of cooperative banking; and (e) the measures taken to ensure transparency and accountability in Odisha’s cooperative institutions? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY) (a): As informed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the present status of cooperative banks and credit institutions in Odisha is as follows: i) Urban Cooperative Banks – 09 ii) Rural Cooperative Banks – 18 (State Cooperative Bank and 17 District Central Cooperative Banks) iii) Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) - 4287 (b) to (e): The Government of India and RBI have taken various measures to strengthen cooperative banks’ financial health, governance and digital inclusion along with enhancing deposit security, credit availability and prudent regulation which inter-alia include: • Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) have been allowed to open new branches • Housing loan limits have been increased from 10% to 25% of their total loans and advances for UCBs • The Banking Regulation Act has been amended to increase the terms of directors of Cooperative Banks from 8 to 10 years • Licensing fee for onboarding of cooperative banks to Aadhar enabled Payment System (AePS) have been reduced • The National Urban Co-operative Finance and Development Corporation Limited (NUCFDC), which is a non-deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), has been set up as an Umbrella Organization for Urban Cooperative Banks to provide Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and operational support • A Shared Services Entity (SSE), Sahakar Sarthi, has been established to provide technological services to Rural Cooperative Banks • Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) insures various types of deposits up to ₹5,00,000 per depositor per bank (including principal and interest) for all co-operative banks Further, the Ministry of Cooperation has sanctioned an amount of ₹ 108.27 crore in FY 2025- 26 for computerisation of 2711 PACS in the State of Odisha. *****