National level co-operative organizations in general and NCUI and IFFCO in particular are busy giving finishing touches to the preparations of welcoming Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in a mega co-op conference slated for 25th September at Indraprastha Indoor Stadium in Delhi. IFFCO sources confirmed that even the chief of International co-operative movement ( ICA President) Ariel Guarco has consented to participate in the event.
“I saw the presentation today along with IFFCO MD Dr U S Awasthi and Marketing Director Yogendra Kumar at the IFFCO headquarters; they have so far done a thorough job”, said a satisfied NCUI President Dileep Sanghani. Readers would recall Sanghani is the originator of the idea of welcoming Amit Shah in a massive co-op conference.
Sanghani was shown the most important details of preparations on a laptop— sitting arrangement at the dais, those who will occupy the front row, those behind and blah blah blah. The IFFCO team has worked out everything in detail including the arrangement outside the stadium for those who would come without pass. “Nobody will return emptyhanded”, said Sanghani elaborating on arrangements made outside the main building.
A visit to the IFFCO headquarters by the correspondent last week revealed that everybody from the MD down to junior staff is busy preparing for the success of the Ministerial visit. “About 50 e-rickshaws for movement inside the auditorium campus have also been arranged for the old and the infirm”, said an IFFCO official.
The gate and the roads leading to the Indraprastha Stadium are all going to be spruced up and the blueprint for the same has already been created through computer simulations, said an official on condition of anonymity. “Our MD Dr U S Awasthi has uncommon organizing abilities and he is taking keen interest in preparations at all levels”, the official added. The event will have the IFFCO Stamp, he added with a sense of pride.
Besides NCUI and IFFCO, several other co-op organizations including Kribhco and Nafed are doing their bit to make the event a huge success. “I declare here and solicit your support for the Nafed to connect to more than 50 lakhs people on the day of the Minister’s welcome by the co-operative movement of the country”, said Nafed Chairman Bijender Singh in the recently concluded AGM of the agri co-op.
Later, Sanghani informed Indian Cooperative that while IFFCO is trying to connect about 5 crore farmers to the event, Kribhco has set a target of more than 1 crore of them. All big co-op federations GCMMF (Amul), Nafcub, Nafscob, Fishcopfed, Labour co-op fed, and many more are busy setting up links in their respective areas so that a large number of people could hear the Union Minister speak. ‘We have set a target of connecting to 8 crore people to the event’, said Sanghani.
Earlier, the Core Committee, formed by the NCUI to plan for the mega Co-op Conference in Delhi, met at the NCUI headquarters and discussed the shape and contour of the proposed event.
Invitations containing the bar code are being sent out either through email or WhatsApp, informed Sanghani. He conceded that there is a huge demand the entry passes as everyday one VIP or the other turns up demanding them. `Unfortunately, seats are limited and a final list has already been screened by the Ministry officials; Everyone is welcomed as we have arrangements outside the main building also”, assured the NCUI President.