Parliament Question: Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3846 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 16 MARCH, 2026/ 25 PHALGUNA, 1947 (SAKA) Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank 3846. SHRI KARTICK CHANDRA PAUL: Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state: (a) the current status of the financial health of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank, including the details of profit or loss during the last five years and the current year; (b) whether the Government is aware of any irregularities or malpractices in the functioning of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank and if so, the details of such irregularities; (c) the actions taken by the Government or regulatory authorities to address the irregularities and ensure transparency and accountability in the operations of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank; (d) the measures being implemented by the Government to improve the performance of cooperative banks, including Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank and to safeguard the interests of depositors; and (e) the current status of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank and the steps being taken by the Government to reduce NPAs and recover bad loans? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY) (a): As informed by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the financial position of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank, including details of profit and loss during the last five years is given at Annexure. (b) to (c): As reported by NABARD, as on 31.03.2025, there is total ₹ 584.98 lakh outstanding amount that is involved in the cases of frauds in Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank. NABARD has accordingly issued Letter of Supervisory Concerns (LOSC) to the Cooperation Department, Government of West Bengal, and to the West Bengal State Cooperative Bank highlighting significant deficiencies and irregularities observed in the functioning of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank. (d): The Government of India and RBI have taken various measures to improve the performance of cooperative banks and safeguard the interest of depositors 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) has 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 • Rural Cooperative Banks have been included by RBI in the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme • 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 cooperative banks (e): As reported by NABARD, the Gross and Net Non-performing Assets (NPAs) of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank (RCCB) for FY 2024-25 are 19.99% and 6.59 % respectively. NABARD has further informed that RCCB has taken various steps to reduce NPAs and recover bad loans, which inter-alia include strengthening internal controls, reconciling discrepancies, moving towards system-generated NPA recognition to ensure compliance with RBI/NABARD prudential norms, strengthening legal recovery measures and enhancing credit appraisal & monitoring systems in high NPA sectors to improve credit quality. RCCB has also initiated Special Recovery Drives and collaboration with Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to address the issue of NPAs in agricultural loans. *****Annexure Annexure referred to in part (a) of Lok Sabha Sabha Un-Starred Question No. 3846 on “Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank” due for answer on 16.03.2026 Financial details of Raiganj Central Cooperative Bank for the last five years (Figures in ₹ lakh) Particulars FY 2024-25 FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2021-22 FY 2020-21 Total Share 2155.75 2148.69 2141.32 2127.35 2130.95 capital Net Worth 9728.98 9284.78 8609.46 7798.59 7305.00 Total Assets 154140.95 146542.52 141033.19 136480.87 129718.46 Total Deposits 115443.28 108747.22 104552.80 100811.35 95773.00 Borrowings 3891.03 4844.51 4054.58 6153.98 7320.43 Loans & 77447.05 75160.43 74930.07 73070.38 70715.18 Advances Total 30519.13 30506.53 30993.88 30494.88 29021.06 Investments Total Profit 789.69 731.92 656.13 857.09 786.97 before Tax Total Profit 519.69 441.92 406.13 556.60 431.97 after Tax Accumulated 3042.07 2788.89 2590.18 2157.25 1965.00 Profit CRAR % 13.12 12.74 12.07 11.76 11.16