While addressing a session on “Women in Credit Cooperatives: Empowering Change” at CoopKumbh 2025 in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ms. Chetna Sinha, Chairperson of Maan Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, narrated the remarkable story of how her women’s cooperative bank for rural women was born out of sheer determination and collective courage.

Sinha recalled that the idea of the bank emerged when several rural women approached her, saying they wanted to save money but no bank was willing to open their accounts. Determined to change this, she met officials at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and proposed opening a bank run by and for rural women.

“When I first shared the idea, the RBI officer was shocked,” Sinha recounted. “So, I took a group of local women to meet her. The officer told them, ‘You are no

See Full Page