Mangaluru : The 144th birth anniversary of the Cooperative Pioneer, the late Molahalli Shiva Rao, was celebrated on Sunday at the South Canara District Central Cooperative Bank (SCDCC Bank). A floral tribute was paid to the portrait of Molahalli Shiva Rao at the event, organized jointly by the South Canara District Central Cooperative Bank and the Dakshina Kannada District Cooperative Union Limited. Following this, a cooperative pledge was taken.

Presiding over the event, the president of SCCDCC Bank, Sahakara Ratna Dr. M.N. Rajendra Kumar, said, “In the undivided Dakshina Kannada district, Molahalli Shiva Rao firmly established and nurtured the cooperative sector. His life, which raised awareness about the cooperative movement before independence, is an inspiration to everyone. May his name remain everlasting,” he said.

The president of Dakshina Kannada District Cooperative Union Limited, Bellippadi Prasad Kaushal Shetty, stated that Molahalli Shiva Rao laid a strong foundation for and developed the cooperative sector in the district.

K.P. Sucharitha Shetty, president of the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union, remarked that Dr. M.N. Rajendra Kumar, Sahakara Ratna, has wonderfully continued the cooperative tradition established by the remarkable achievements of Molahalli Shiva Rao in the cooperative sector.

The event was attended by Vinay Kumar Surinje, the vice president of the bank; directors T.G. Rajaram Bhat, Bhaskar S. Kotyan, Shashikumar Rai B., S.B. Jayaram Rai, Raju Poojary, M. Mahesh Hegde, Monappa Shetty Ekkaru, K. Harishchandra, K. Jairaj B. Rai, Sadashiva Ullal; Chief Executive Officer Gopalakrishna Bhat; Janata Bazaar President Purushottama Bhat; Vishwakarma Cooperative Bank President Harish Acharya; Aatmashakti Vividdhoddesha Cooperative Society President Chittaranjan Bolar; Union Secretary S.V. Hiremath and other were present.