Udupi: The Bharat Co-operative Bank organizes Customers Meet

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 20 Dec 2013: The Bharat Cooperative Bank, one of the prominent banks in the cooperative sector with its headquarters  in Mumbai organized Customers Meet in the Kidiyoor Hotel  on Friday, 20 December 2013 at 6pm. Bhuvanedra Kidiyoor-MD of Kidiyoor Hotel presided over the customers meeting. Other dignitaries on the dais included G.M. Kotian-Retired LIC Development Officer, B.N. Shankar-Businessman and social worker, Prabhakar-MD-GIC Employees Cooperative Society Ltd., A.S. Saralaya-Proprietor A.S. Associates, N. Boja Raja Shetty-President of District Small Scale Industries Association, Udupi, Janardhan Tonse-Social Worker and Viswanath Bhat-Ex-President of District Small Scale Industries Association, Manipal.

 

The programme began with prayer sung by the staff of the Bharat Bank, Udupi Branch followed by the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries on the dais.

 

Nityanand D. Kotian-Deputy General Manager  of Bharat Bank, Mumbai who had specially come for the Customers Meet traced the origin and development of the  Bharat Cooperative Bank limited through Power Point presentation. He said that it was in 1932, the Billavara Association was founded in Mumbai to promote social and religious reform among the Billavas on the lines laid down by Shri Narayanaguru.  Gradually, realizing the need to promote economic development among the Billavas and other people especially coming from the undivided Dakshina Kannada District, under the leadership of Jaya C. Suvarna the Bharat Cooperative Bank was founded on 21 August 1978.

 

 

The Bharat Bank, which had a humble beginning in 1978 with one branch gradually became quite popular and in succeeding decades it grew with additional branches. In 1988 the bank had 5 branches which increased to 21 in 1998, 30 in 2008 and 55 in 2013.  The Business  Plan submitted to the Reserve Bank of India by the bank has sought permission to open another 32 branches in different parts of three states-Maharashtra, Karnataka and eight districts of Gujarat. In Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Districts, the Bharat Cooperative Bank has branches at Hampankatta (Mangalore), Udupi, Suratkal, Puttur, Moodbidri, Karkala, Kundapura and Bantwal. Shortly, two branches of the bank will be opened at Kankanady-Mangalore and Ujire.

 

Presently, the total  business of the Bharat Bank is 9,900 plus crores which the bank hopes to increase to 10,000 crores by the end of 2013.  The Non Performing Assets of the bank are quite low at 0.44 percent.

 

Nityanand D. Kotian further said that out of 1,645 cooperative banks in India, Bharat Cooperative Bank ranks among the top five and it has been winning a number of prizes with regards to performance and other categories. It won the first prize for Best Performance awarded by the Maharashtra Urban Cooperative Banks Federation for two successive years from 2011 to 2013. Nityanand Kotian said that during the 35 years of its existence, the bank has won 36 awards in different categortries.

 

A number of speakers including A.S. Saralaya,  G.M. Kotian, B.N. Shankar, Prabhakar, Bja Raja Shetty, Janardhan Tonse, Vishwanath Bhat and Bhuvanendra Kidiyoor spoke highly about the customer friendly service of the Bharat Bank and wished well to the bank.

 

Balakrishna Karkera, Regional Head for Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Districts of the Bharat Bank  said that the first branch in undivided DK District was opened in 1999 at Hampankatta-Mangalore  and after 10 years the Udupi Branch was opened. He gave credit to the customers of Udupi for the rapid growth of the bank and thanked the customers for their faith and trust in the bank.

 

At the end of the programme Arun Kumar Kotian-Manager of the Udupi Branch  proposed the vote of thanks followed by dinner.