First all women’s bank branch inaugurated in Dehradun

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the state's first women's branch of a co-operative bank.

Congratulating the co-operative department for opening a branch handled exclusively by women, he said, "It is a matter of great happiness that a bank branch will be run by women only. It will definitely lead to good results as cooperative has a bright future."

The whole world is moving today either towards corporate or co-operative, he said after inaugurating the branch at Banjarawala tea estate here. Greeting the women employees at the branch, he said it was now up to them to prove that they are the best.

The chief minister said he wanted an all-women’s bank in every panchayat, block and town of the state. However, expressing concern over skewed sex ratio in some districts of the state, he said female foeticide will stop only if the mothers were powerful, reports PTI.

"It is a matter of deep concern that skewed sex ratio prevails in some of our districts at a time when we are talking about women's bank, women's reservation and women's empowerment," Trivendra said. Speaking on the occasion, state co-operative minister Dhan Singh Rawat said co-operative banks will provide a loan of Rs 1 lakh at 2 per cent interest for agricultural purposes and education loans at the rate of 8 per cent.