In a major push towards strengthening IT infrastructure in rural cooperative banking, the Ministry of Cooperation has asked Registrars of Cooperative Societies (RCS) across States and Union Territories to issue directions to State Cooperative Banks (SCBs) to give preference to NABARD’s Shared Services Entity (SSE), ‘Sahakar Sarathi’, before availing services from the open market.
Further, the Ministry has urged RCS officials to facilitate approvals for SCBs to contribute towards the share capital of Sahakar Sarathi, enabling their participation in the new digital ecosystem.
It was discussed during the recently held ‘Manthan Baithak’ in New Delhi.
The SSE, established by NABARD, is designed to provide essential IT infrastructure and services to Rural Cooperative Banks (RCBs). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval for the entity on April 2, 2025.
Sahakar Sarathi has been set up with an authorized capital of Rs 1,000 crore, with equal contributions (33.33% each) from NABARD, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), and participating RCBs. Services will be delivered on a “pay-per-use” model, ensuring cost-effective access to IT solutions for rural banks.
The initiative is expected to play a transformative role in bridging the digital divide in rural banking and aligning cooperative banks with modern technological standards.
