Inaugurating recently a seminar organized by Vamnicom in Pune, S.K. Pattnayak, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture said the central government is providing funds on skill development for the agriculture sector to meet its specialized needs.
Expressing his hope that deliberations in such seminars could help the government frame its policies better, Pattnayak added the government is resolved to modernize the cooperative sector. Sixty six thousand PACS in the country would soon be computerized, he claimed.
Vamnicom had organized the seminar on the theme of Revitalising cooperative capacity building and sustainability in association with Government of India and NCCT in Pune at Four Point Sheraton on Monday. A large number of people associated with cooperative sector attended the event.
Dr Pattanayak also acknowledged the role being played by the VAMNICOM in rejuvenating the cooperative sector in the country. “We have gigantic cooperative institutions in the field of dairy, fertilizer and spinning. There is a case of Paradeep Fertiliser- a loss making entity which made a turnaround when it came into Cooperative fold.
He also cited names of those cooperatives which are successful in some states like Campco in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, input cooperative society HOPCOMS in perishable fruits and vegetable cooperative societies. Such successful stories should be replicated in other states also, he added.
Welcoming the guests, Vamnicom Director Dr. K.K. Tripathy underlined the importance of cooperative training and
research in the context of professionalization of cooperatives. He also spoke highly of the efforts made by the central government to effect transformation of the cooperative sector.
M.K. Mishra, Secretary, NCCT, thanked VAMNICOM for conducting such national level workshops and seminars. Mishra also mentioned about the challenges being faced by CTIs in the country.
In her remarks, Mrs. Sarita Arora, CGM (IDD), NABARD, Mumbai, dwelt on the role of NABARD in helping credit cooperative societies through training and research. She felt that Cooperative Governance by Board of Directors also needs to be addressed by training and capacity building activities.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. M.L. Sukhdev, Chairman, Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank acknowledged the contribution of cooperative movement through credit and non-credit cooperative sector in economic development. He said the workshop has been organized at a time when the issues of capacity building need to be analyzed.
A book on “Digital Agriculture, digital India by Smat Agripost was also released on the occasion. The special Issue of Cooperative Perspective brought out for this occasion “The Eternal Quest for Cooperation: An Anthology of Speeches and Articles” was also released.
Technical sessions were also organized on subjects like – Issues, Challenges and Emerging Needs of Cooperative Training and Research, Role of Cooperative Training Institutes (CTIs) in professionalization of Cooperatives and Innovation, sustainability and Capacity Building in Cooperatives.
In his discussion Shri T.P. R. Dora, President, FISHCOPFED, New Delhi stated that training is mainly discussed in respect of Cooperative Banking/credit Sector and other areas remains neglected such as animal husbandry, fishery, handlooms, gotary etc. There is a need to take up training in these areas also, Dora added.
B.K. Mishra, Managing Director, FISHCOFED said cooperative sector plays a vital role in the economy with 8 lakh cooperatives with 25 crores of members. It must be sustainable and should be economically viable. We must have authentic data base and there is a need for innovation and consistent updation of study materials, he added.
D. V. Suryanarana, Chairman, The AP State Cooperative Union said the major issue of Cooperative Movement is non-cooperation among the cooperatives and cooperative training is also not exception to it.
