A number of cooperative movements have emerged across the country. They have excelled on the strength of customer trust and transparency in transactions. And that still continues. Many such organsations, associations can be mentioned. And there is no doubt that they are considered iconic in their respective fields. But Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd has to be particularly mentioned as a trusted financial institution that has made place in the minds of common people in just 26 years, on the basis of customer trust, its transparent transactions and multipurpose services. The Lokmanya Group is known all over the country as Lokmanya Society. The Lokmanya Society must be looked at as a movement started by the people, for the people who are motivated by the spirit of social commitment and cooperation. Lokmanya Society completed its 25th year on August 31, 2020. There is no doubt that it will continue to grow on the strength of its good performance in the future too.
‘Lokmanya Group’- The cooperative movement run by the people, for the people
Movements are motivated by a common goal. As we have read in history books, the freedom movement was meant to liberate the motherland from the enslavement of the British. It succeeded after 150 years and India got its freedom. That is why freedom is invaluable. Many movements continued even in the post-independence period. The cooperative movement is one that enriches the life of the common person. Today, the cooperative movement is established purely on the strength of trust and the goal of public welfare
The purpose behind the establishment of Lokmanya is public welfare...
Giving top priority to the interests of its customers and members, Lokmanya Society has earned the trust and approval of the customers, members and the common man. It has blended well with the culture of Maharashtra and is constantly moving ahead. Founder-president of Lokmanya Group Mr Kiran Thakur has been honoured with various prestigious awards in the fields of journalism, entrepreneurship and education given in the name of N V Parulekar, Acharya Atre, S V Kirloskar, Maharshi Narad as well as the Entrepreneurship Awards conferred by Raosaheb Gogte and the World Mahratta Chamber of Commerce. The honour given to him is the honour given to the Lokmanya Society and the motives behind its establishment.
Speaking on behalf of Lokmanya Group, Mr Kiran Thakur says that people form the core of every thought, decision and action taken by Lokmanya Society in the field of public welfare and social work. The purpose is not only to build financial institutions and make profits. The organisation aims to empower and enrich society by raising people’s standards of living, empower people for economic prosperity by giving them support, provide them a suitable platform for education, make people's lives healthier through modern and technologically advanced medical facilities, and work for public welfare through economic activities and professional diversity. And this very idea of‘Lokmanya Society’ manifests through its policy and action.
Work done in the field of education, rural development and culture
Lokmanya Society has done well in the financial sector. At the same time, it is a matter of pride that the Group has nurtured and spread the social movement with a legacy of good actions. The Lokmanya Group has worked in the social sphere -- rural development, environment, forestry, primary, secondary and higher education, health, senior citizens' service, issues faced by cooperative housing societies and women's health and empowerment. At the same time, it has humbly provided active support to some of the prestigious events in the cultural field like Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, Vasantotsav, Swarjhankar and the musical event organised to pay respects to Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi on the occasion of his birth centenary. Through these, it has formed and nurtured a unique bond with Maharashtra’s glorious traditions.
Village adoption scheme for people's upliftment
Lokmanya Group has adopted 30 villages and thereby its residents from Kankumbi and Jamboti in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border area, to increase the income of the citizens. Constant efforts are being made to increase the income of the self-help groups and women in the village and make them self-reliant through microfinance. The Group provides financial support to the self-help groups as also a platform for selling their products. As a result, their products are easily marketed.
Striving for the availability of education
In the field of education, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools have been started with the objective of providing educational facilities in rural areas. Financial assistance is also provided to needy rural students for higher education. For the students of Std 10 and 12, exam guidance and personality development guidance centres are run. Vocational training centres, recruitment guidance centres, defence training centres are also being run for the graduates. These efforts also include modern study centres and libraries for needy students. To aid students in personality development, various competitions like painting, elocution, essay writing, sky lantern-making are organised. Lokmanya Vachankatta is held to cultivate reading culture among the new generations. Books are also made available to them.
In the field of environment, social forestry, river waste disposal project, eco-friendly Ganesh idol–making workshops, traffic awareness campaigns are held and in the field of health, eye donation, blood donation camps, bone density check-up camps, complete health check-up camps are regularly organised. The Society organises free health check-up camps for senior citizens, yoga and meditation camps and various activities for cooperative housing societies too.
Support to social organisations
Apart from this, huge financial assistance has also been given to LRCR mammography centre in Pune. Some of the names that should be mentioned while talking about Lokmanya Group’s contribution to the social sector are, senior social worker and ‘the mother of the motherless’ Padmashree Sindhutai Sapkal, SM Joshi Socialist Foundation, Rashtra Seva Dal, Ravi Paranjape Foundation, Abhijit Air Safety Foundation, Dr Manohar Dole Medical Foundation, the Lions Club, the Rotary Club and the association for Soldiers with Disabilities called ‘Hrin’.
Lokmanya Group imparting knowledge: Wagle College, Khanapur has produced generations of responsible citizens
The group is trying to help patients in rural areas by providing ambulances
The women’s empowerment facilitated by the Lokmanya group has given impetus to the progress of the family
Lokmanya Group believes that social development can be accelerated through girls' education and women's empowerment
Helping hand during the Corona period
During the Corona disaster period, Lokmanya Group, which was a part of the essential services, provided food and medicines to the needy with the help of social organisations, out of a sense of duty and to repay its social debt. It provided active assistance through the distribution of masks, sanitisers, food, face shields and raincoats to Corona Warriors from the departments of Health, Police and the administration. Apart from that, it also extended substantial financial support to the Chief Minister's Fund in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa, and the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. During the lockdown, all companies, industries, schools, colleges, government offices were shut and their operations had come to a halt. At the same time, as an exception to this, the essential services like health, administration and police were operational and so also the services of the financial sector, which is the backbone of the economy. Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, which was a part of the essential services, provided uninterrupted service to all citizens, customers and members during the Corona period. It performed its duty responsibly and sensitively by providing home delivery service when needed. The senior officers, managers serving in the various branches of the Lokmanya Society, came to the branch even in the challenging situation and carried out their work successfully.
A universally accepted way of public welfare
First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you on the occasion of the post centenary celebrations of the glorious International Day of Cooperatives which is being celebrated today (July 3). Cooperation is a gift from Maharashtra. The statement - From cooperation to prosperity -- was given by the state as an ideal path to follow for the entire country. Following it, many gave direction to the concept of public welfare in various fields of social life. You will find examples of many such individuals, organisations and associations. They might be from agriculture, agro-based industries, financial, or any other sector. In the financial sector, we find many examples going with the tradition, where this principle of cooperation is being followed.
Credit unions, societies along with cooperative banks, on the strength of their excellent dealings, can open the door to many opportunities for ordinary customers. Their lives can be changed. Kiran Thakur, Founder-President of Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, believes that it is a weapon of common people’s development.
According to him, “We, Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited’, i.e. ‘Lokmanya Society’, are the carriers of the glorious tradition of cooperation. Following this tradition, the Lokmanya Group has completed a glorious journey of 25 years (silver jubilee). During this journey, we have demonstrated how to win customer and member trust, have transparent transactions, provide multipurpose services, show affinity for customers, and most importantly, incorporate the best practices based on the latest technology. The same will continue in the future. Lokmanya has gained recognition as a guiding pioneer in the field of cooperation. One more principle of the Lokmanya Group’s cooperation theory is that Lokmanya is another way of public welfare. That is the perception of the group.”
In the above-mentioned tradition, we have also made our valuable contribution. By taking the principle of ‘From cooperation to prosperity’ further, we are trying our best to give the prosperity back to society to repay the debt we owe it. This effort will continue. But for this we need your strong support.
During this journey of cooperation-prosperity-society, with the help of 213 branches, we have crossed the milestone of over 5,500 crore deposits. In addition, multipurpose services like insurance, safety lockers facility, PAN card, fastag facility, foreign exchange etc., are also being provided. Another feature of Lokmanya Society is that 80% of its employees are women. On the strength of its customer trust, Lokmanya Society is offering its multistate and multipurpose services in Delhi, besides Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. Thanks to this service, Lokmanya is known not as a Society but as a reliable financial institution providing services through the state-of-the-art facilities, keeping in mind the needs of the rural and urban set-ups. Given the current state of the economy, it’s a challenge for financial institutions to offer double-digit interest rates on investments. But for the last several years, Lokmanya Society has kept its word in this regard. Recognising the needs of the current Fintech world, on the occasion of the completion of its silver jubilee year, the Society has made the ‘Online Digital Platform’ (www.lokmanyaonline.com) facility available for its members and customers. In the near future, it has plans to introduce facilities like gold loan and debit cards too. Lokmanya Group has taken the path of public welfare by providing substantial assistance to various organisations and associations working in the field of education, health, environment, women empowerment, senior citizen groups, village development, micro finance for self-help groups, social service organisations, etc. A question is often asked, how is it possible to give such a hefty interest rate on investments made by ordinary customers and members. Lokmanya Society has gained the trust of its members and customers on the strength of its transparent transactions. Similarly, based on its research, study and experience, the Society invests its customers and members’ investments in the right fields. The Society has invested in educational institutions, hotels, restaurants, real estate, tourism, etc. Most importantly, these investments are made as per the rules laid down by the government agencies associated with the financial sector. And it is on the basis of these factors that Lokmanya Society has been consistently offering its customers and members the best dividends and returns on investments for the last 26 years. This is just the beginning. In the process of public welfare and development, all of us have to travel a long distance together. And while doing so, we should forget the slogan that leads to society through cooperation and prosperity.”
Lokmanya Group: the epitome of cooperation
The first branch of Lokmanya Society was inaugurated on August 31, 1995 at Tilakwadi, Belgaum
“Let's help each other and together let’s get on the right path.” It won’t be an exaggeration to say that this motto is the backbone of Maharashtra's economy. Mr Kiran Thakur launched Lokmanya Multipurpose Cooperative Society, weaving a network of financial institutions from Belgaum on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border to Maharashtra and the rest of the country, on the strength of trust, with an aim to help each other and especially to provide employment to the youth.
Use the trust of the people gained through transparent and reliable financial services, for their welfare continuously -- this principle has been adopted and cherished by Lokmanya Society. And that has given Lokmanya Society its true identity.
Mr Kiran Thakur, founder-president of the group, which is popularly known as Lokmanya Group, has gained popularity as a pioneer in the field of cooperation. In the spirit of public welfare, with the noble goal of creating not only job seekers but also employment-generating entrepreneurs and providing employment to the youth, Thakur founded Lokmanya Society in Belgaum on August 31, 1995. The journey that started with the help of only 12 stakeholders, has always seen an ascending graph of success. It has reached new horizons. In 2002, in the form of a multistate society, Lokmanya expanded its network of interstate branches to Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Delhi. It was transformed into a multipurpose Society in 2008.
Thakur says it with pride that behind this successful journey and hard work are the values inculcated, and blessings showered by the founder editor of the daily Tarun Bharat and freedom fighter late Baburao Thakur. The daily Tarun Bharat has completed a century. The newspaper known for its tradition of impartial and candid journalism, has consistently provided strong support to Lokmanya Society, and taught and reminded it of ethics and importance of consumer trust. In the year 1979, Mr Kiran Thakur took over the responsibility of the daily Tarun Bharat and expanded it.
The current progress of Lokmanya Society is admirable. Led by Mr Kiran Thakur, Lokmanya Group has made strides in the fields of education, health, hospitality, construction and infrastructure, banquet halls and tours and travel.
Lokmanya Society, a society approved by Maharashtra
Pragmatic Maharashtra has always thought ahead of time. It will not be an exaggeration to say that it has given a direction to the country in the field of cooperation. Talking of the journey of Lokmanya Society’s expansion in the state, the first branch in Pune was started on March 30, 2006. Since then, on the strength of people’s trust, it has been providing services through its 125 branches across the state, using transparent and modern tools. What’s more, this journey of expansion is still on. It can be called a reflection of the trust placed in it by its customers and members. In addition to earning the trust of customers, members and the common people as a reliable brand in the financial sector, Lokmanya Society has imbibed the highest values from the art, cultural, social and historical spheres in the state. It is proud of these values and is progressing further on the same path.
