By I C Naik
The cooperative movement in India is a victim of extremely low concerns manifested in the team led by the political class with media as a willing accomplish.
Two media reports one on 3/11 and 4/11 in prominent Mumbai dailies illustrate this vividly.
This is about the Constitutional mandate [vide Art. 243ZK. (1) in “Part IXB: The Cooperative Societies” inserted under the Constitution (97th Amendment) Act 2011 which came in to force on 13 2 2012 For States on 14 2 2013 for all practical purposes]
Succinctly mandating:
1. In any law made by the Legislature of a State, the election of a board shall be conducted before the expiry of the term of the board” and
2. The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to a co-operative society shall vest in such an authority or body, as may be provided by the Legislature of a State, by law”
3. And also the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide for the procedure and guidelines for the conduct of such elections”
Consequently the M. C. S. Act 1960 was amended effective 14 2 2013 and its New Section 73 CB in sub-section (2) lays down that
“The State Co-operative Election Authority shall consist of a State Co-operative Election Commissioner, who has held the post not below the rank of Secretary to the State Government.”
Now join to be a witness to the contradiction to above in reality 19 months:
In the Head lines of the:
3/11 Report: “Co-op elections within reality now”
Polls to Maharashtra’s 32,000 societies have not been held for past two years”
4/11 Report: “Retired IAS officer to head co-op poll body”
These Reports go further to fortify the contradiction in very first statement made by each:
3//11 :‘ The state government’s decision to set up a co-operative election authority will be a relief for about 32,000 co-operative bodies, including housing societies, which have not held elections since 2011
4/11: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has created yet another high level post to rehabilitate a bureaucrat post-retirement. The newly created election authority for cooperative institutions will be headed by a retired IAS officer. At a meeting presided over by chief secretary J K Banthia, it was decided that the authority will be headed by a retired IAS officer not below the rank of secretary.
The decisions reported to have been taken now were in fact taken already at much higher levels and their execution was long overdue for which a stern reprimanding stance in the media is conspicuously absent in these reports.
Look at further lethargy and contempt of State Law makers brewing:
“Sub-section (15) of Section 73CB provides that:” Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the rules or the by-laws of any co-operative society, the election to the committee and consequent election of the office-bearers which is due on the date of commencement of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Mah. Act, 2013, or may become due after such date, until 31st March 2013 shall be held before the 31st December 2013.”.
On this statutory intent, the 3/11 report observes “even if the body with the commissioner was in place by the second week of November, the department hoped to finish the polls by January second week.
Media is also mused with no answer to a question “what is the fate of management of societies the committees’ whose tenure expire post 31 3 2013?”
As per 3/11 report as on March 31, 2012, Maharashtra had around 2.28 lakh cooperative societies with around 525 lakh members, of which the prominent ones are:
1. Co-operative housing societies, 88472
2. Co-operative dairy societies, 25437
3. Primary agricultural credit societies 21443
4. Urban co-operative credit societies, 15004
5. Urban cooperative banks, 526
6. Sugar co-operatives. 202
It is only to be imagined why such low concerns for governance in cooperative movement about which the State always boasted of being a pioneer?
The 3/11 report does take note that the “States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were way ahead in setting up the authority”.