Central Registrar resumes registration but would he be effective?

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies has resumed his work of new registration under the Multi State Cooperative Society Act, 2002.

A circular released on 1.05.2020 from the office of Central Registrar reads, “It is requested to submit the contact details of the applicants or chief promoter of the society applied for New Registration under MSCS Act, 2002″.

“It has been decided by the Competent Authority that due to Covid-19, the Chief Promoter of the society is called upon electronically to appear before the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies through video conferencing”, it further reads.

It further said, “In this regard, you are directed to submit your contact details (email ID and mobile no along with the name of your proposed society) of the Chief Promoter or Authorized person of the society applied for new registration under MSCS Act,2002 during the period December 2019 to till date by email at regmscs@gmail.com“, it concludes.

It bears recall that following the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Central Registrar of cooperative societies has informed all multi- state cooperative societies that all hearings due up to April 2020 will be stopped and proposals for registration of new societies and requests for amendments in by-laws will be considered later.

Meanwhile, the Central govt has allowed graded opening of govt offices. Earlier, officers up and above the level of Deputy Secretaries were allowed but later all Deputy Secretaries and senior officers were asked to join with a third of their Secretarial staff-members.

It bears recall that earlier, the office of the Central Registrar has been accused of a policy paralysis when it comes to the registration of multi state co-operative societies.

The low figures of those who are able to acquire multistate tags are at variance with the focus of the Modi govt which has been pushing hard to improve the “ease of doing business.”

“While a company is registered in no time in Modi’s regime, a multi-state co-op takes ages”, complain many. And the paradox is all the starker as forming cooperatives has been made fundamental right through the 97th CAA.

Sources say the paralysis partly springs from the fact that a number of multi state co-op societies have been faulted for being in the wrong in recent years. Illegal transactions made by Multi-state multi-purpose credit cooperative societies have pushed thousands of people into penury across the country. Adarsh Credit and many such dubious co-ops have done incalculable damage to the cooperative movement, many felt.