Cooperative politics is very interesting as it witnesses the shift of power in a most unlikely manner. Virendra Singh, Chairman of NCCF must be thanking his stars for the windfall he got through the declining clouts of Nafed and its leadership.

Elected as Chairman , more than a couple of years ago, Virender Singh was taken hostage by his own Board dominated by his adversary Vishal Singh, the son of late Ajit Singh. The race for the top job was so intense that NCUI President Chandra Pal Singh had to intervene to bring truce between them.

It was rumoured that an arrangement of revolving powers has been worked out in which half the tenure of Chairmanship would go to Virendra Singh and the other half to Vishal Singh. True or not, Virendra Singh was spared the eventuality of this kind as the jinx of Nafed was on Vishal.

Bijender Singh, the strong man of Nafed and a member of the NCCF Board, always stood by Vishal. To top it,Chandra Pal Singh also nurtured fatherly affection for the young Vishal who lost his father when he was still a boy.

There were many occasions in the NCCF Board meeting when Virendra Singh would be reduced to a mere spectator while Vishal and his sympathizers would call the shots. once, a few people appointed by the Chairman as advisors were asked to quit and Virendra Singh could nothing.

But the Nafed jinx has not only weakened Vishal but also robbed Bijender Singh of much of his strength.

There are still issues that are vexing Birendra Singh. Some of the top ranking officials are also trying to have a go at the cooperative politics by siding with this or that group. They seem intent on their own selfish considerations while uncertainty surrounds the future of the cooperative leadership.

This has led to delay in many of the projects of NCCF in the past. Hope an invigorated Chairman would take calls, pressing urgently on the apex consumer cooperative body sooner than later.

National Consumer Cooperative Federation (NCCF) Chairman Mr Birendra Singh has blamed crisis of cooperative leadership in the country behind governmental indifference to this vital mode of economics. For your voice to be heard there should unison and there should be unity of purpose among cooperative leaders, Mr Singh said while talking to Indian Cooperative.com in New Delhi.

Readers may recall that apart from the annual budgetary plan even the 12^th Five year Approach paper have given a royal miss to the word “cooperative”. There is nothing new in it and it is now for more than 15 years that the word cooperative is missing from all discussions of budget, Birendra Singh said.

Union Finance Minister meets everybody worth name in pre-budget consultations while we keep fighting for exemption from income tax. We have petitioned Sharad Pawarji, our agriculture minister a thousand times on this issue. But would government take us seriously if we do not stand on our feet and pay income tax, he asked. I want cooperatives to be viable and pay tax, Mr Singh asserted.

Talking of NCCF viability he conceded that for last 6 months consumer cooperative has suffered on account of lack of professional staff. ” We have conducted interviews recently and are in process of appointing some professionally trained senior men which would help us achieve our goal, the Chairman added.

We also suffer from lack of clear-cut field of operation and have petitioned government for guidance. We may emerge as nodal agency in the field of medicines shortly. NCCF may also play an important role in Food security plank of the government, he added.

National Consumer Cooperative Federation NCCF is in news after a CBI Inquiry was ordered by the Ministry ofConsumer Affairs. The matter relates to the year 2010 when NCCF participated in the tendering process of Andhra Pradesh power generation (AP Jainco).

Chairman of NCCF, Mr Virendra Singh and the then Managing Director Mr Gupta along with senior advisor Mr Singhal are under the scanner. The matter relates to supplying coal to AP Jainco which is Andhra government power generation unit.

Participating in the tender process, NCCF did some “smart acts” which  came to the notice of NCCF Chief Vigilance Officer Mr K S Bariyar who prepared a report and sent it to Ministry CVO Mr Kakekar who is reputed to be an officer of high integrity.

Ministry CVO made a strong case for CBI Inquiry in the matter and referred the same to the Minister Mr P J Thomas.Mr Thomas sat on the file for nearly one month. Perhaps sensing growing public impatience with cases of corruption across India, Minister finally sent it to CBI.

CBI has begun the enquiry in right earnest. Meanwhile, the MD Mr Gupta has quit NCCF and a new MD has taken over.

NCCF has been in news on account of its phenomenal success in managing the onion crisis in the country. With NAFED already reeling under tie-up losses and blatant corruption plaguing it, Government had popped up NCCF in the hope of creating an alternative to agri cooperative giant. But Chairman and his team seem to be on suicidal course with scores of scams dotting the horizon.

There is also news of scam in the appointments of senior officers in NCCF, advertisement for which had come first in the month of March,2011.After dilly-dallying it is fixed for July 15 now. It is said that candidates have already been selected and Indian.cooperative .com has a list of those whose name would finally be published as successful candidates.

Attempt to contact the Chairman Mr Virendra Singh on Monday through phone and SMS to gather his reaction was met with no response.

NCCF Board is meeting today on Friday in the backdrop of tense phase.In the last meeting some retired officials’ presence was resented by some of the board memebers and they were asked to be sent packing by 31st March.

According to NCCF chairman Birendra Singh such officials have been seen off since.

Other issues pertain to selling off of NCCF properties which was not approved by a number of Board members.

But according to information received by Indiancooperative.com a truce has been found between members and Chairman.

Talking to Indian Cooperative.com,NCCF Chairman Birendra Singh said that the meeting is a routine one and nothing much should be read into it.

But it is said that Birendra Singh’s rising clout with IFFCO is being resented by many board members.Readers may be aware that IFFCO is continually on growth path with little interest in cooperative politics going around. There is also concerted effort to isolate IFFCO from the mainstream and any attempt by any leader to associate with IFFCO is not liked by so called bearers of mantle of  Cooperative movement.

Birendra Singh,sources say, is paying price for it. He is constantly kept uneasy at NCCF and attempt to dethrone him looms large all the time.

Last Board meeting of National Consumer Cooperative Federation  (NCCF)  was stormy with several board members objecting to presence of some officials close to Chairman Virendra Singh.

The trio of Chandra Pal Singh, NCUI President, Bijender Singh, Nafed Chairman and Vishal Singh, Vice President of NCCF opposed the presence of Mr T T Adhikari, Mr Singhal and Mr B P Kalia.

These officials, according to sources were not only asked to leave the office but their services are to be terminated by 31st of March. Mr Adhikari is ex-MD of NCCF and had taken VRS earlier. His reappointment as consultant is not permitted by the rules yet his closeness with the Chairman Virendra Singh ensured his appointment.

Mr Singhal was additional Managing Director with NAFED who is said to have been instrumental in getting several onion export parties from Nafed to NCCF. Readers may be aware that NAFED used to be nodal agency for onion export but the rising clout of NCCF under Sharad Pawar protégé Virendra Singh has somewhat shaken its number one position.

Secondly, Nafed’s declining clout has also to do with ghost of tie up loss which continues to haunt the agri cooperative. Many of its key men are still under investigator’s scanner. Sensing an opportunity people like Singhal switched loyalties to emerging consumer federation, NCCF.

NCCF Board members objected the presence of these officials also on the ground that all of them are above 65 years of age.

The board members also objected to other decisions such as sale of NCCF building Vishal Bhavan in Nehru Place. Advertisement for the sale has already been placed in newspapers but the troika of leaders led by Chandra Pal Singh objected to this. According to sources CVO has also objected to this sale but the Chairman went ahead with the plan nevertheless.

Attempts to contact the Chairman of NCCF Mr Virendra Singh failed as he did not pick up the phone.

But the board meeting clearly shows the emerging gap between Virendra Singh and other leaders. It is also being said that NCUI President Chandra Pal Singh wanted to take Vishal Singh on the governing council board of NCUI from NCCF quota but Virendra Singh did not agree to that. Being Chairman, it is his due, says sources.

The fire-work visible in last Board meeting may be result of some old hostilities.

Three hundred outlets of Mother Dairy, 20 outlets of Kendriya Bhandar, 15 NCCF owned outlets and a number of mobile vans. NCCF Chairman Virendra Singh has wiped the tears of onion of citizen of Delhi through such a modest means.

Talking to Indian Cooperative.com Mr Singh said that the Minister has instructed us to sell onion at Rs 23 a kg but we may lower it down further from Friday onwards.

Working at feverish pitch for the past months,  NCCF has proved that it is more than a match to beleaguered NAFED  and  government can count on it in moments of need.  Packaging onion from the Nasik Mandi,  getting it transported to Delhi,  selling it in retail with its own distribution system –the job of consumer cooperative has not been mean.

NCCF refused to import onion unlike NAFED citing lack of storage facilities. But insiders say that it is the low quality of foreign product which discouraged NCCF to bite the bait.

When onion crisis hit the nation,  government planned market intervention. It selected cooperatives like NAFED and NCCF to the forefront of crisis management. Indian cooperatives have proved once again that when worst comes to worst, nation can count on cooperatives.

Ironically, Sharad Pawar had to cut some of his ministerial assignments  partly on account of his hopeless statement on rising prices of onion.

Historically also, onion has played crucial political jokes on Parties which prompted Atal Bihari Bajpai to say once “ Indian democracy was sold at the rate of onion”( Bhartiya prajatantra pyaj ke bhao bik gayi) “ Indian democracy was sold at the rate of onion” .Thankfully, cooperatives have weathered the storm rather heroically.

Nafed and NCCF have joined Delhi government to bring relief to people reeling under skyrocketing prices of onions. The Delhi government has begun selling it at nearly 400 outlets, including those of Mother Dairy, across the city at Rs 40 per kg against the current retail price of Rs 60-70.

Camping in Delhi to help government effort, NCCF Chairman Virendra Singh said that govt is not alone in its fight as consumer cooperative is making every effort to help the consumer out from skyrocketing prices of onion.

The onions were being made available at 288 Mother Dairy outlets, 85 Kendriya Bhandar stores, five Nafed outlets and 13 National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India stores, Delhi development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said. Consumers would be able to buy a maximum of two kg onions at a time.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting and gave the go ahead for sale of onions at reasonable rate in the select outlets.

In the meeting, Dikshit instructed officials to keep a tight vigil on the wholesale and retail markets and told them to continue raids against hoarders and black-marketers.

She also appealed to public not to panic as there was enough quantity of onions available in the market. “Both the Centre and Delhi government have taken a series of measures and the impact has been seen in the wholesale market. We hope the prices will come down very soon,” she said.

Dikshit said arrival of onions in Delhi has increased significantly last week and price of the commodity is set to go down in a few days.

Officials said availability of onions at Azadpur wholesale market had increased significantly following raids at 123 points in the market last week.

A group of senior IAS officials along with the Chairman of NCCF had a series of brain storming meetings to thrash out a  revival package and a revival strategy to bring the apex consumers cooperative federation on the highway of prosperity and viability.

The working group has submitted its report to the Ministry and is expecting cabinet approval of the same soon.

Talking to Indiancooperative.com, Mr. Virendra Singh, Chairman of NCCF said that once the proposal is passed by the Cabinet, it would mean a new beginning for NCCF. Since the revival strategy is being framed at govt initiative, there is no reason to believe that it will not be accepted.

The report talks of Rs 650 crores of packages which will help the Federation to begin many new projects.

According to NCCF Chairman, the federation plans to have retail outlets in several states. It has already firmed up projects for 12 retail stores. These stores will primarily sell agricultural produce with sprinkling of common consumer products as well.

It proposes to open up processing unit for dal in Nagpur, for paddy in three states of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and West Bengal and for rice in Andhra Pradesh.

The need for owning processing unit arose from the fact that mill owners makes money on various pretext while processing the whole grain thus denying the consumers the real benefit, says Mr Singh.

Readers may be aware that in a short of coup NCCF has bagged the award to procure pulses and oilseeds under the minimum support price scheme along with Nafed and FCI.

On the name of cooperative solidarity he was also arm twisted to refuse this offer on the ground of weakening another cooperative federation Nafed.

With nafed fortunes out in the dumps, the government is focusing more on the NCCF.

Indian cooperative columns have also raised the issue of massive waste of food grains in India and it had also predicted a bright future for nccf given the limitation of choices before the government.

September 25th AGM of Nafed proved stormy. A day before on Friday the government had announced demolition of Nafed monopoly on procurement of agri produce. Two new players NCCF and CWC joined in the government list to weaken Nafed’s hold on agri produce.

Miffed by the government move AGM of Nafed focused on the role given out to Nccf. Leaders said that there can not be competition between cooperatives as cooperative is passing through bad patches.

They pointed to the presence Nccf chairman Birendra Singh in the meeting. Luckily even Vishal Singh, the vice chairman of Nccf was present. Leaders of Nafed said that we have nearly the entire board of Nccf present in the AGM and we would like to hear from them on the issue.

According to sources Birendra Singh was caught in a tight corner. How can he deny an offer he had lobbied hard to acquire. He has applied to the government to get the nomination and here comes a situation where in the name of cooperative solidarity he is being asked to give it up.

Saving the situation for himself he said that Nccf is not in competition with Nafed. There is no difference of opinion between Nafed board and Nccf board. But we will do business in such areas where Nafed has not traditionally been active such as north-eastern states, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

Minimum Support Prices have been raised and there is a huge competition among farmers to produce more and more. There is scope for each and every agency,said Birendra Singh.

Later, Indian cooperative .com has came to know that a feeler was sent to NCCF Chairman to refuse government offer and quit from the race of procurement. Mr Birendra Singh is said to have strongly refused to buckle down under the pressure.

Replying to charges of consumer cooperative entering into agri produce Birendra Singh told Indian cooperative.com that even nafed, a agri cooperative was selling kit containg various items to consumers. He further asked that how can NAFED stalls are being allowed at various point in Commonwealth games even though it an agri cooperative?