The Uttrakhand government is serious on aligning its 2004 cooperative act to 97th cooperative amendment as a meeting of top cooperative leaders along with the state cooperation Minister took place in Vidhansabha Bhavan last week in Dehradun. The committee formed for this purpose is christened “Co-op Act amendments committee”.
The meeting was presided by the state Co-operative Minister Yashpal Arya and IFFCO Director and Chairman of the state cooperative union Pramod Kumar Singh, being the member of Committee was part of it.
In his Face Book post Mr Singh gave brief idea of the meeting as well as about those who took part in this. He writes “State Co-op Bank Chairman Sh Sanjeev Arya secretery /Ragistrar Co-op Societies Sh Vijay Dhaundiyal IAS District Co-op Bank Chairman’s Udham Singh Nagar Sh Subhash Behad Chairman Dehradun Dr K S Rana Chairman Nainital Rajender Negi Chairman Almora Prashant Bhaisoda Housing Federation Chairman Sh Upender Chaudhry Resham Federation Vice Chairman Sh Abdul Razzaqe and Co-operators and officers were present.
Later talking to Indian Cooperative on phone Mr Pramod Kumar Singh said that the committee has given suggestions which would be incorporated in the draft and would be later introduced in the House. One more meeting would take place before the final draft is readied, Mr Singh added.
Two issues bogging the Committee are reservation and number of directors in a PACS. The 97th CAA does not make any reservation for Backward caste but the state cooperative leaders are inclined to give reservation to Backward Caste. 97th CAA prescribes one SC/ST and 2 women directors in the Board.
The second issue is that of increasing the number of Directors in the PASC which has five directors so far–a practice being carried forward from the past. We wish to recommend the number to at least 9 so that giving reservation to different categories would escape SC limit of not exceeding 50 per cent limit, Pramod said.
