Q.The main members of a District Central Co-operative Bank are:

A DCCB is a 'co-operative of co-operatives', so its members are not ordinary individuals.

Because the DCCB is the district's central financier of societies, those societies are its principal members.

A District Central Co-operative Bank is a federal or central co-operative — a co-operative whose members are themselves co-operatives. Its principal members are the primary co-operative societies of the district (agricultural credit, marketing, processing, housing societies and the like), for whom it acts as the central financing agency.

Option-by-option analysis:

• (a) individual farmers only — Wrong. Individual farmers are members of the primary societies at the base, not directly the main members of the DCCB (though some individuals may be admitted).
• (b) the primary co-operative societies of the district — Correct. These societies are the heart of the DCCB's membership.
• (c) commercial banks of the district — Wrong. Commercial banks are outside the co-operative structure and are not members.
• (d) the State Government alone — Wrong. The State Government may contribute to share capital in some cases, but it is not the main body of members.

Students often say 'individual farmers'. The farmer is a member of the primary society, and the primary society is a member of the DCCB — membership is one tier up.