By Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav
Dear Friends
Happy New Year!
I extend warm wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year 2016 for cooperative organizations, cooperators and others associated with the cooperative movement in the country. “Converting challenges into opportunities is the key agenda for us in the New Year”.
The cooperative movement in the year 2015 saw a rapid growth in various areas of socio-economic activities. However, he pointed out that several problems and challenges before the cooperative sector during the year have strengthened our resolve to find viable solutions to these issues.
During 2015, the cooperative institutions like AMUL, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, registered profits, and also broadened their horizons in new areas/places while also becoming global in outlook. The cooperative banking sector, particularly the urban cooperative banks witnessed good growth, and many of the banks not only made profits, but also adopted better technology norms.
However, the RBI’s High Powered Committee Report on conversion of urban cooperative banks into private companies posed a big threat to the existence of these banks. NCUI being the apex organization of the cooperative movement recently passed unanimous resolution opposing these recommendations.
“We have apprised the Government of our strong opposition, and we will continue to fight on the issue during the New Year so as to safeguard the interests of cooperatives”. We are also opposing the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill in Parliament which talks of conversion of cooperatives into other entities, as this will harm the growth of other sectors of cooperatives.
Influencing government polices so that cooperatives are not denied income tax concession, ensuring cooperatives get due recognition in the planning and budgetary process, etc. are the other challenges before us in the New Year’s. We have also to strengthen PACs which are the basic foundation of the cooperative movement. Constitutional Amendment Bill which provides for autonomous and democratic growth of cooperatives is still not uniformly implemented all over the country, and NCUI will take up this issue strongly in the coming year.
The NCUI during the year 2015 expanded its education and training programmes, particularly benefitting women and youth. The cooperative week celebrations organized by the NCUI raised awareness of cooperatives as effective organisations for “Make in India”. NCUI is hosting ICA Regional Assembly in 2016 which will further build up the image of cooperatives. It will be a great honor for the cooperative movement to invite PM, Mr. Narendra Modi on this occasion.