The policy paralysis affecting the UPA government is perhaps nowhere as visible as in the case of consumer affairs ministry. Ministry is hardly taking any decision leading to business turn over halved for the National Consumer Cooperative Federation in the last three years.
The apex cooperative federation is not able to transact any business as it has no full time Managing Director. As a token gesture, Ministry gives additional charge to some senior IAS officer who visits NCCF once in two months leading to a massive pile up of files.
This has resulted into a big loss for the NCCF in terms of commercial activities. S K Nag who is one of the Directors in the Consumer Affairs Ministry has been given additional charge and according to sources in the organization he comes once in a two months.
Earlier, M K Parida was given the additional charge whose sole achievement could be recounted as three foreign trips he made in the capacity of MD of the NCCF.
It is not that Ministry does not take interest in the affairs of the NCCF but unfortunately it is confined to getting accommodation to some outstation destination or free-travels on the NCCF account. Some of the Ministry officials stoop so low as to demand food from hotels too, Indian Cooperative has learnt.
The NCCF Board which has directors like Chandra Pal Singh and Bijender Singh, President and Chairman of NCUI and Nafed has already passed resolution advertising the post of Managing Director. The Ministry is sitting tight on the file.
Talking to Indian Cooperative Birendra Singh, Chairman of the NCCF said” our work is being hampered for want of a full time Managing Director. There is not even a General Manager. There are 600 sanctioned posts in the cooperative behemoth but we are compelled to make do with only 300. What result do you expect from us in this situation. he wondered”
Experts say the NCCF Board is behaving timid as it could go ahead with the advertisement following the Multi State Cooperative Act. Section 51 of the Act clearly says that all multi state societies will have a full time chief executive appointed by the Board. Observers are optimistic the next Board meeting of the NCCF may take some bold steps and break free of the governmental stranglehold.