If it was the Prime Minister who had kick-started the yearlong celebrations of Laxmanrao Inamdar Centenary in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi last year, it was Vijay Rupani Gujarat CM and other stalwarts of the state who rounded off the celebrations by participating in the Valedictory Function at Dinesh Hall, Ahmedabad last Friday. Inamdar had spent many years as RSS Pracharak in Gujarat.
Organized in a grand manner by Sahakar Bharti, Gujrat State Co-operative Bank and Gujrat Urban Co-operative Banks Federation jointly, the event also felicitated Satish Marathe on his nomination as Director to the Central Board of RBI.
The impressive guest list included Vijay Rupani, Haribhau Bagade, Speaker, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Purushottam Rupala, Union Minister, Ajay Patel, senior cooperator, Mangal Jit Rai, President, National Co-operative Dairy Federation as well as several Chairmen and Directors of Co-op Banks, Credit Societies, PACs members, among others.
Besides the patron Satish Marathe, Sahakar Bharati was represented by Jyotindra Mehta, Dr Uday Joshi, Sanjay Pachpor, Prof Jitubhai Vyas, and Kantibhai Patel. Co-operators from across the State of Gujarat attended the function.
Speaking on the occasion Chief minister Vijay Rupani said that it will not be correct to limit the contributions of Vakil Saheb to the cooperative sector only. As a true RSS pracharak he took it upon himself to spread the network and scope of Sangh in the state with passion. Gujarat was his area of operation, so we benefited, he added.
Rupani also clarified that Vakil Saheb was never directly part of Sahakar Bharati but such was his vision that his
mere guidance even from a distance led to its spectacular growth! “He was born on Rushi Panchami and no wonder, he was a modern saint”, Rupani said. Talking about co-operative the Chief Minister said that the sector has the potential to lead to equitable growth.
Remembering Inamdar Sahakar Bharati President Jyotindra Mehta said Vakil Saheb always felt that for a nation to be strong, the members of its lower strata would have to be strong. The removal of the gap between rich and poor can be achieved much easily by the cooperative model, Vakil Saheb was convinced, added Mehta. “Vakil Sahib provided food for thought for the cooperative sector and today we see its results in the shape of a robust co-op moment in the state and across the nation”, Mehta underlined.
Lauding Sahakar Bharati, Union Minister Purushotam Rupala Purushotam Patel said when a humble cooperator (Satish Marathe) occupies the high seat as the RBI Director, it is a real homage to Vakil Saheb. He praised Sahakar Bharati for its various activities.
The Patron of Sahakar Bharati Satish Marathe and one of the stars of the event said that it was in the year 1978, when Vakil sahib told me about his vision of carrying out the work of the Cooperative Sector from Maharashtra to Gujarat to Goa to Karnataka to the entire country. Today excepting a few states of the North East, the Sahakar Bharati has covered about 500 districts of the country, he added.
Marathe said there is need to strengthen the cooperative sector both financially and legally for the equitable growth of society. “We are requesting state governments that the norms for the Ease of Doing Business should be implemented in the cooperative sector also”, Marathe added.
Speaking on the occasion Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Speaker Haribhau Bagde said Vakil Saheb got active when there were difficult times for the cooperative sector and created a band of honest, active and dedicated workers.
A documentary film on the life of Vakil Saheb was also shown on the occasion.
