Lockdown fails to stop NCUI from conducting important business

NCUI President Dileep Sanghani has asked the apex body of co-operatives in the country NCUI to remain closed in the face of surging cases of Covid 19. “I have asked staff-members not to come to office and do important work from home only”, said Sanghani to Indian Cooperative.

The physical lockdown has however not stopped the apex body from carrying its important assignments. It held its Governing Council meeting last week on Zoom, which was presided over by Sanghani. Barring the CE who was down with Covid till last week, almost all the important leaders including Chandra Pal Singh, Bijender Singh and others participated in the meeting. Two-minute silence for the departed souls of  Pramod Kumar Singh and VR Patel, was also observed before the GC meeting took off, sources add.

Meanwhile, the postponed meeting of co-op leaders for strengthening co-ops has been rescheduled. “The meeting would now take place on 11^th May as MoS Rupalaji has agreed to participate in the meeting on that date”, informed Ved Prakash Setia, PS to the President. It bears recall that NCUI had planned a large-scale meeting of co-operators at its headquarters on 28th April for deliberation with co-operators of different sectors-sugar, dairy, labour, fisheries etc.

Following the change of the guard at the NCUI, the NDA govt has evinced interest in taking NCUI onboard on matters related to co-operatives. Parshottam Rupala, MoS has emphasized that NCUI under Sanghani should take a lead role in furthering the cause of co-operatives in the country. Now Rupala has agreed to be present for the meeting on 11^th May.

Coming to other business, NCUI has also to conduct the meeting of Cooperative Education Committee which is due. It is coordinating with the members of the Committee which includes two senior officers from the ministry, added sources.

Sanghani, who is himself under self-imposed lockdown in Gandhinagar, Gujarat says the situation has yet not abetted and there is a need to exercise maximum precaution. “I have also asked staff members of GUJCOMASOL to work from home and not come to the office”, added Sanghani who heads the state marketing co-op federation, Gujcomasol as well.

Gujarat State Co-operative Marketing Federation, an apex Cooperative Marketing Federation is engaged in the business of agro inputs and procurement of farm outputs of the farmers with an annual turnover of more than Rs 1719 crores.

Meanwhile, some of the staff-members of the apex body NCUI who had fallen prey to Covid 19 have recovered. Sudhir Mahajan, the Chief Executive, who had to be hospitalized due to falling Oxygen level, is fine now.

Though Mahajan did not pick up the phone, one of the senior officials of NCUI told Indian Cooperative that Mahajan has been discharged from the hospital 2-3 days ago. Even his personal staff including Ms Harshbala and others are fine now, said the official.

Regarding the reopening of the office, Setia said that a close watch is being kept on the situation by the top officials and an appropriate decision would be taken when the time for the same comes. As of now the office is closed till this weekend, he added.