New Delhi, Feb. 10 -- The Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have taken various measures to strengthen cooperative banks' financial health, governance and digital inclusion along with enhancing deposit security, credit availability and prudent regulation, said Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

As part of efforts to support business expansion, Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) have been permitted to open new branches, enabling wider outreach and improved customer access. In a move aimed at boosting credit flow, the permissible housing loan exposure of UCBs has been raised to 25 per cent of their total loans and advances, from the earlier limit of 10 per cent.

To i...