With reference to ‘Urban Cooperative Banks’ in India, consider the fol

With reference to ‘Urban Cooperative Banks’ in India, consider the following statements:

  • They are supervised and regulated by local boards set up by the State Governments.
  • They can issue equity shares and preference shares.
  • They were brought under the purview of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 through an Amendment in 1966.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2021
The correct option is B. Statements 2 and 3 are correct, while statement 1 is incorrect.
– Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) are regulated and supervised by both the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (for banking functions) and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies (RCS) of the concerned State (or Central RCS if multi-state) (for registration and management). They are not solely supervised and regulated by local boards set up by State Governments. Statement 1 is incorrect.
– UCBs are permitted to raise capital through various means, including the issue of equity shares to their members and other forms of capital instruments akin to preference shares or long-term deposits with equity features, as per regulations issued by RBI and the Registrar. Recent amendments to the Banking Regulation Act have enhanced their ability to raise capital. Statement 2 is correct.
– Certain provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, were extended to cooperative banks, including UCBs, through the Banking Laws (Application to Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965, which came into effect on March 1, 1966. This brought their banking operations under the purview of the RBI. Statement 3 is correct.
The dual regulation structure (RBI and RCS) has historically posed some challenges. The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020, sought to bring UCBs more directly under RBI supervision concerning banking-related matters, while cooperative administration remains with the RCS.
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