NCP Panel brainstorms with national Co-op Feds; Prabhu presides

A meeting of representatives of National level Cooperative Federations for drafting the new National Cooperative Policy Document was held in hybrid mode last week under the chairmanship of former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.

The objective of the meeting was to take the sectoral federations’ suggestions/ideas/views including the challenges of the respective sectors for incorporating in the draft document of National Cooperation Policy.

The meeting was organized at the NCUI headquarters in which former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, NCUI Chairman Dileepbhai Sanghani, Nafscob Chairman K Ravinder Rao, Vamnicom Director Hema Yadav, Kribhco MD Rajan Chowdhry, Nafed’s SK Verma, IFFCO Cooperative Relation Director Santosh Shukha, NCDFI MD Kishore Supekar, NCCF MD Manoj Semwal and representatives of other National Cooperative Federations were connected through online mode.

NLCF’s V K Chauhan, National Cooperative Housing Federation of India CE N S Mehara and others were present at NCUI premises in physical form.

It is reported that a few participants representing different sectoral federations submitted the inputs for drafting of the new National Policy on Cooperatives. Several of them have taken time to submit their inputs in written form in a couple of days.

Indian Cooperative has learned that the meeting concluded with a long discussion, in which a representative demanded that the functioning of housing cooperatives is different from other types of co-ops, so there is a need for a special legislation for housing co-ops for their smooth functioning. Economically weaker sections housing co-ops may be exempted from stamp duty and registration fees by the state governments, he added.

It was further raised that NCDC should also start providing financial assistance to the housing co-ops. The state governments should permit housing co-ops to get audits done by the CAs registered with the ICAI.

Another participant demanded that there is a need for a long-term policy for revitalization of labour co-ops from grassroots to national level, which are very weak. Concessions and facilities, which had been approved by the advisory councils on labour cooperatives in 1995.