Chandigarh, September 13: Haryana Cooperation Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma said that the basic principle of cooperation is ‘Main nahin, Hum’. Cooperative institutions are being connected with technology, transparency, accountability and modern management to make them a strong foundation for the economic empowerment of farmers, employees, women and youth. The resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Viksit Bharat and Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah’s mantra of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ are being rapidly implemented on the ground in Haryana under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. He said that the Prime Minister has resolved that every citizen will play an important role in making the country developed by 2047.

 

Dr. Arvind Sharma was addressing a programme of The Postal & RMS Employees Cooperative Bank in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday. He congratulated the bank’s Chairman Sachin Kharb, Board of Directors, officers, employees and the Postal and BSNL family for the institution’s long cooperative journey.

 

The Minister said that this cooperative institution, which began in Lahore in 1928, came to Ambala Cantonment after Partition in 1947 and is today moving forward with a legacy of nearly a century. The association of more than 13,000 permanent employees of the Postal and BSNL departments from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi as shareholders reflects the strength of cooperation. He said that the provision of immediate loan facilities of up to ₹11 lakh to members when needed reflects the institution’s commitment to members’ welfare. When a cooperative institution stands with an employee during the education of children, marriage, construction of a house or an emergency requirement, it does not merely function as a bank but also plays the role of a family’s support system.

 

Dr. Sharma said that in Haryana, PACS are being transformed into multipurpose institutions instead of limiting them merely to the distribution of fertilisers and loans. Through the computerisation of 710 PACS and facilities such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras and Common Service Centres, efforts are being made to turn cooperative institutions in villages into strong service centres. HAFED and other cooperative institutions are playing an important role in procuring farmers’ crops and making fertilisers available, while dairy cooperatives are connecting thousands of livestock-rearing families with the market. Our effort is to ensure that this strength of milk and curd also becomes a source of economic prosperity for livestock rearers and rural families through cooperation.

 

The Cooperation Minister called upon the bank management to keep the welfare of members at the centre of every decision. He said that due to the efforts of the present Board of Directors, the bank’s working capital has increased by approximately ₹200 crore over the last nearly two years. The greatest capital of any cooperative institution is not merely its balance sheet, but the trust of its members. This trust should be further strengthened through transparency and better services.

 

Dr. Sharma highlighted the contribution of postal employees and said that despite changing times and technology, society’s trust in the Postal Department remains intact. There was a time when the village postman brought not just letters, but also the happiness and messages of families. The bank is carrying that same trust forward with the strength of financial support and cooperation. He said that the government and the Cooperation Department are ready to extend all possible support to strengthen cooperative institutions that are making positive efforts. Our goal is to make Haryana’s cooperative institutions an example for the country in terms of service, transparency, modern technology and members’ welfare.

 

No.IPRDH/2026

 

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(Release ID: 6014)