Guwahati: A High-Level Committee (HLC) meeting to assess the health of cooperative credit institutions in Assam was held at the NABARD Regional Office in Guwahati on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary of Assam, in the presence of senior officials from the state government, Reserve Bank of India, and NABARD. At the outset, a booklet titled “Empowering Rural Cooperatives – A Leadership Guide for Development of Multipurpose Primary Agriculture Credit Societies” in Assamese was released.
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The committee reviewed the performance of the Short Term Cooperative Credit Structure (STCCS), comprising the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank Ltd. and Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS). While ACAB showed improved profitability and strong capital adequacy, concerns were raised over Gross NPAs of around 9%, a low Credit-Deposit ratio of 44%, and limited share in the state’s banking sector.
The panel noted ACAB’s inclusion in the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, calling it a milestone but stressed the need for expanding credit outreach. It also highlighted the absence of bank branches in five districts and urged a time-bound expansion roadmap. The committee emphasized strengthening PACS and MPACS for grassroots credit delivery, alongside improving digital banking, cybersecurity, and governance systems to ensure sustainable cooperative growth in Assam.
