NCUI President finally gave in and wrote to the Union Agriculture Secretary a letter for which the agricultural ministry had been tightening the screws on the apex cooperative organization for more than a year.

In his letter NCUI President Chandra Pal Singh Yadav has agreed to cede administrative and financial powers.

Talking to the Indian Cooperative Chief Executive of NCUI, Dr Dinesh confirmed that the letter had been sent but when asked to divulge its content he stalled saying “I have not seen what he has written. It’s a matter between him and the Ministry. So far as I am concerned I will continue to work under the guidance of the Governing Council and the President”.

However, readers could recall the words expressed by Dr Dinesh only a week ago. He had talked about the breaking of the ice between NCUI and the Ministry in an interview given to Indian Cooperative.

Last week meeting was indeed crucial, as Indian Cooperative had informed its readers. It was in this meeting when Chandra Pal decided to cede powers in order to deliver NCUI from a financial bind it found itself in for a long time.

According to sources, the plight of NCUI field project staff that had been without salary for months compelled Chandra Pal to change his mind. Chandra Pal in his meeting with the Union Minister Sharad Pawar had sought his intervention in easing pressure on the staff. Taking advantage of the compulsions of his situation, the ministry babus asked him to sign a piece of paper committing him to relinquishing his powers. When he had returned to his office at Siri Fort Road he knew he had lost it.

It is a matter of time now that funds would start flowing, informed one of the directors at NCUI. But what passes one’s comprehension is the abject genuflection of the highest cooperative body before the imperious govt babus.

On a number of occasions earlier, the issue of abandoning powers had been resisted in the meetings of the Governing Council as it held the elected heads were paramount.

But Ministry’s constant pressure coupled with the arm-twisting tactics of withholding funds compelled the President to bend. And the conditions of the field staff only added to his helplessness.

He won so far as NCUI’s immediate future is concerned but he lost in terms of the future of the cooperative movement.

This experience teaches a lesson too that if you wish to stand up to the babus you have to be economically viable. The cooperative movement that comprehends the entire world is not a product of governmental efforts but an achievement of the people at large.

Bhagwati Prasad, the former Chief Executive of National Cooperative Union of India has been awarded  PHD  by Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana.

Mr Prasad who is presently Vice-Chairman of Sahkari Awas Nirman Evam Vitt Nigam Ltd in Lucknow submitted his research work on topic of ” Management of Primary Health Care Services-  a  case study of Haryana”.

Mr Prasad had a long inning in the cooperative circle of  Delhi and presently working together with Shri Mukul Verma who is the Chairman of above-mentioned Cooperative Federation and a member of Governing Council of NCUI.

Dr Dinesh, Chief Executive of apex body National Cooperative Union of India, who was on probation so far, has been given full tenure of five years. Governing Council of NCUI met on Monday in New Delhi to pass resolution extending his tenure for four more years.

Twenty-one members strong body had 17 members in the meeting which approved Dr Dinesh extension. Shivaji  Rao Patil, Satyanarayan Sharma and G H Amin were some of the absentees.

NCUI President Dr Chandrapal moved the proposal of his extension which was passed without any note of dissent.

Later, talking to Indiancooperative.com Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav said that the Governing Council reviewed his performance of past one year before putting its seal on his extension. Council felt that Dr Dinesh’s presence has strengthened cooperative movement in the country, the main job of NCUI, he added.

When Indiancooperative.com contacted Dr Dinesh to find out his road map for strengthening cooperative movement he sounded optimistic about future. “So far our entire energy has been consumed in battling court cases but we wish to build credible cooperative movement in the country in days to come ”, he said.

Other board members also reposed faith in Dr Dinesh and hoped that with tenure issue behind his back , he would be able to concentrate on meeting challenges facing cooperative sector.

His beginning of job was marred by many unpleasant hands-down from the past. But now he would be monitored more closely for what he does and what he does not do. Indiancooperative.com also wishes Dr Dinesh a fruitful tenure.

There is good news for staffs of NCUI who are part of cooperative education programme. Dr Dinesh Chief Executive of NCUI has cleared their pending salaries till June,2011. “Their problem was weighing heavy on my nerves, and now I feel somewhat relieved”, said Dr Dinesh to Indiancooperative.com.

But their main problem still hangs balance.

Readers may recall that Government has stopped funding to NCUI  in the wake of Lecturer scam leading to great inconvenience to staff of NCUI whose families are forced to starve. People who have nothing to do with the scam are being penalized while architects of scam are punished with mere transfer!

In a classic case of highhandedness and nepotism, the then Chief Executive Shri Bhagawati Prasad in 2005 arbitrarily converted the permanent job of field officers to contractual and threatened them to either say yes or resign.

The story begins with the Govt. of India starting the Cooperative Education Programme in 1976 with a pilot project in Madhya Pradesh. Thereafter 15 such projects were established in  under developed states through out the country for strengthening of cooperative movement at grass root level.

The number of these projects grew from time to time after evaluation of the scheme by Govt. of India and 100% grant-in-aid is provided to NCUI for implementing the Special Scheme for Intensification of Cooperative Education in underdeveloped states. Presently there are 44 projects all over India having the strength of more than 202 employees.

The employees numbering 82 who were appointed earlier on regular pay scale having all the terms and conditions as that of employees working at NCUI Head Quarter such as pension, annual increments, bonus, DA, medical reimbursement, LTC, 6th Pay Commission Scales etc. These employees are also being governed by the Service Rules of NCUI.

Rest of the employees was appointed on contractual basis with consolidated salary. In 2005 the then Chief Executive of NCUI changed the terms and conditions of appointment with regard to all the 82 permanent project employees arbitrarily who were issued appointment letters with scale and other benefits by issuance of so called ‘Show Cause Notice’ changing their service conditions from regular to contractual after serving at least 20 years of service.

When they protested they were threatened with termination of service.

Dr Dinesh , the new Chief Executive has indeed to cover a long distance as the working of NCUI in past appears to be quasi private where man in power governed not by rule but by fancy. This explains massive upsurge of support for Anna in India where people have suffered for long silently.

NCUI, Central Registrar, Ministry of Agriculture have all remained silent to this injustice so far. Indian cooperative.com wants affected parties to join ranks and launch a peaceful campaign in Anna style.

After her candidature for the post of Chief Executive was not entertained by the appointment committee of NCUI Mrs Anita Manchanda resigned from the post early Tuesday morning.

With this her stint of nearly two years as acting Chief Executive of NCUI came to an end.

Readers may be aware that on Monday the Governing Council of NCUI met to decide over the recommendation of appointment committee.Dr Dinesh Mishra, an educationist emerged as the winner.

Dr Mishra is presently Advisor to AICTE ,though his job is with Sanskrit Vidya Peeth, a wing of Union HRD Ministry.

Mrs Manchanda is credited with introducing COOP CONNECT-a programe aimed at infusing cooperative concepts among school children.

Today is the D day.The appointment committee is going to put its choice before the governing council.The governing council members encompass all sectors of cooperatives.If HK Patil of NAFCUB would be there,NAFED Chairman Bijender Singh would also grace the occasion.

The GC would put its seal on the final decision of appointment committee which consisted of NCUI President,Vice-President,Central Registrar and an expert. If sources are to be believed Mrs Anita Manchanda, the acting Chief Executive for nearly two years, stands no chance.

Some say she is not even eligible for the post as her educational qualifications are less than demanded by the post.

Her two years stint,except for “Coop Connect” has been mostly event less with lesser visibility of NCUI in the affairs of cooperative activities across India. Be it problem of fisherman cooperative or labour cooperative, problem of arecanut cooperatives in Karnataka or urban cooperative banks, her role as the ear of the governing council of NCUI has been less than brilliant.

Chief Executive of NCUI is a very crucial post as he or she has to keep an eye on the growth of cooperative movement and lend strength to any small cooperative activities  taking place  anywhere in the country. Being a permanent executive he or she is expected to put important issues before the Chairman and GC.

Let us hope the GC would select a candidate who would understand the  role NCUI has to play in cooperative sector across the states.

57th Cooperative Week

The post of Chief Executive is finally going to be filled up at NCUI. The screening process is over and the final interview is slated for 17^th January.

The post of chief executive is lying vacant for close to two years at the apex cooperative body NCUI.

According to sources about 10 candidates have been short-listed which includes an IAS officer and a former Forest service officer. V S Rao, the food secretary in Goa govt is officer of DANIK services while Amit Prasad is former IFS and presently working as Director HR in KRIBHCO.

Rajiv Mehta who was with ICA as second in command is also another high profile aspirant for the job. Mr Mehta’s term with ICA ended last month.

Other candidates include Omar Yadav, a senior person of UP Cooperative services and Dr Dinesh Kumar, a senior fellow at Sanskrit Vidya Peeth having substantial experience in agricultural matters.

Some other high-profile candidates have been left out in the beginning of race only. B K Mishra, MD of FISHCOFED is one of them and second in command at NCUI S Satyanarayan is another.

The acting chief executive Mrs Anita Manchanda is also figuring prominently in the list of candidtes called for interview.

Chairman of selection committee Mr Chandrapal Singh Yadav and rest of the three members will have a tough time filtring the final winner as hig profile candidates are competing with each other.

Readers may be aware that attempt to appoint the Chief Executive was earlier stalled by Govt  fearing partiality. For the NCUI President, this time  it is a tough call as he has to find a way between competing candidates and the peering  Big Brother(Ministry).