Oil paintings of Co-op Icons unveiled; Gadkari and Pawar attend

On the completion of the 110th year of its existence, Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank unveiled the oil paintings of Late Vaikunthbhai Mehta, Vithaldas Thackersey, and Dhananjay Gadgil at its headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday.

It was unveiled by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar in the presence of Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Speaker Neelam Gorhe, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil,  Water Resource Minister Jayantrao Patil, Cooperative Minister Balasaheb Patil, Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and others.

It is worth mentioning that all the three commemorated stalwarts had important contributions to the cooperative sector. The event was a great success and people greeted MSC Bank Administrative Board Chairman Vidyadhar Anaskar for the same.

In his address, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the cooperative sector has made a significant contribution to the development of Maharashtra. India is known as an agricultural country but the contribution of the agriculture sector to the country’s GDP is only 10 to 12 percent.

“It is a matter of pride for me to unveil the oil paintings of the people who contributed a lot in the development of the cooperative sector of Maharashtra. The cooperative movement will bring prosperity and change in the lives of the people in rural areas”, he added.

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar highlighted the contributions of the three leaders. “The late Vithaldas Thackersey helped the bank grow in stature and strengthen in the early 1990s.

Whereas the Late Vaikunthbhai Mehta had also a great contribution in the formation of many institutions in the cooperative sector and the Late Dhananjay Gadgil has been credited with setting up the first cooperative sugar factory in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra” he noted.

Praising the efforts of the bank in helping the last man of society, he said MSC Bank Administrative Board Chairman Vidyadhar Anaskar and his team are committed to helping the needy in the best possible ways. The bank is doing a commendable job. That’s why it is important to have oil paintings of the people who contributed a lot in the creation of this bank.

Maharashtra State Cooperative Minister Balasaheb Patil praised the bank for bringing economic transformation to the lives of farmers across the state.