The Legal Cell of Sahakar Bharati in collaboration with the Savitribai Phule Pune University organized a Symposium on Central and State Co-operative Acts last week, in which eminent lawyers from 12 States participated.
The day long discussion resulted in the resolve of studying the archaic co-op acts prevalent in different states and help formulate a new co-op act which is relevant to the times we live in.
Capturing the mood of the discussions Satish Marathe, RBI Director wrote on his FB wall “At the end of deliberations, it was decided that the State level Legal Cells of Sahakar Bharati will undertake a comprehensive study of each State Co-op Act and submit its report to the Legal Cell.”
The legal fraternity deliberated on several themes such as Enforcement of Fundamental Right to form a Co-operative, Steps needed to be taken against Directives or Circulars issued by the Co-op departments which are against the basic tenets of the Fundamental Right, Directive Principles of State Policy.
The academic discussions also centered around the seven Principles of Co-operation and on how to enhance the operational freedom and autonomy of cooperatives. The participants also vowed to recognize cooperatives as economic enterprises where the Ease of Doing Business matters as much as it does in private companies. They felt an urgent need to financially and legally empower co-ops.
Those who led the discussions included Adv Shrikant Kanetkar of Pune, Adv Susmita Saha Dutta of Kolkata, Adv Sachin Narale of Nagpur, Dr Vivek Jyoti of Shimla, Adv Manjunath of Udipi & Adv Prem Sadhotra of Jammu, among others.
Those present on the occasion included Satishji Marathe, Director RBI, Udhayji Joshi, Gen Secretary, Sahakar Bharati, Sanjayji Pachpor, Organizing Secretary, shri Ambadasji Joshi, Rtd Judge of Mumbai HC, Prof. (Dr.) Nitin R. Karmalkar, Vice-Chancellor of Pune University, Prof. (Dr.) Mukund Tapkir, Chair Professor of Padmashri Dr. Vikhe Patil Chair for Co-operation, SPPU, Adv Shrikant Kanetkar of Pune, CA Ruta Chitale, Chairperson, Pune Chapter of Institute of Chartered Accountants, among others.
Speaking on the occasion Satish Marathe lamented the post 1967 focus of Govts – both State & Central on Regulating & Controlling rather than promoting Growth & Development of the Co-operative sector.
“This has resulted in political & bureaucratic interference and politicization”, Marathe felt. He said corruption is now the bane of Co-operatives. Marathe strongly pleaded for re-writing of all Acts keeping in view the Recommendations of ICA & ILO.
At the Symposium which was organized under the auspices of Padmashri Dr Vikhe Patil Chair on Co-op, Dr Uday Joshi welcomed the participants and stressed the need for updating and re writing certain sections of Co-op Acts in the context of the current economic scenario in the Country.
Joshi also recounted rapid strides made by Sahakar Bharati in the last few years.
Delivering the Valedictory Address, Ambadas Joshi, Rtd Judge of Mumbai HC said for uplifting the rural poor as well as the urban poor, co-ops are best suited to the present scenario. He also felt that farm-distress could be tackled through a vibrant co-op movement.
