Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the newly constructed administrative office building of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, named “Sahakara Samruddhi Soudha,” at Ali Asker Road in Bengaluru.
Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Cooperation Minister H. K. Patil, MLA Rizwan Arshad and senior departmental officials were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Siddaramaiah said no sector can remain outside the cooperative movement and described cooperatives as the backbone of rural development. He recalled that he had personally performed the bhoomi pujan for the project in 2023 and expressed satisfaction that the building was completed within three years at a cost of Rs 19.43 crore.
The Chief Minister highlighted the role of milk cooperatives in improving farmers’ livelihoods, noting that Karnataka now produces nearly one crore litres of milk daily. He added that cooperative institutions continue to provide essential services to nearly 60 per cent of the state’s rural population.
Speaking at the event, D K Shivakumar said the cooperative sector has played a major role in generating leadership opportunities, employment and economic growth in Karnataka.
He stated that many grassroots leaders who emerged from cooperative institutions later became MLAs and national-level leaders.
The Deputy Chief Minister also stressed the need for transparency and accountability in cooperative institutions and warned officials to remain vigilant against financial irregularities and fraud.
Referring to past cooperative banking scams, he said public trust remains the foundation of the cooperative movement.
