This paper attempts to contribute to the cooperative banking efficiency literature by investigating the technical efficiency of cooperative banks operating in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The study applies Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR) model (1978) of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Banker, Charnes and Cooper (BCC) model (1984). Banks under reference are treated as intermediaries between savers and investors. The
estimated results show that three banks are relatively efficient when their efficiency is measured in terms of constant returns to scale and five banks are relatively efficient when their efficiency is measured in terms of variable returns to scale. By
improving management of deposits, number of employees, loan advances and investment operations the less efficient banks can successfully achieve efficiency in resource utilization. The results also provide valuable insights to policymakers and managers for improving the efficiency and management of the cooperative banking sector