The structure of cooperative network in India can be divided into 2 broad segments -
Urban Cooperative Banks and
Rural Cooperative Banks.
Urban Cooperatives can be further divided into
scheduled and non-scheduled.
Both the categories are further divided into
multi-state and single-state. Majority of these banks fall in the
non-scheduled and single-state category.
Banking activities of Urban Cooperative Banks are monitored by RBI.
Registration and Management activities are managed by Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS).
These RCS operate in single-state and Central RCS (CRCS) operate in multiple state.
Rural CooperativesThe rural cooperatives are further divided into
short-term and long-term structures.
The short-term cooperative banks are three-tiered operating in different states -
- State Cooperative Banks - They operate at the apex level in states District.
- Central Cooperative Banks - They operate at the district levels.
- Primary Agricultural Credit Societies - They operate at the village or grass-root level.
Likewise, the long-term structures are further divided into -
- State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (SCARDS) - These operate at state-level.
- Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBS) - They operate at district/block level.
All banking activities are regulated by RBI.
All management and registration activities are managed by RCS.
