NCUI: GC assails govt decision on delinking NCCT

The meeting of Governing Council of the apex body- National Cooperative Union of India in Bangalore proved stormy with members after members expressing disgust at the govt move to carve NCCT out of NCUI.

The issue was first raised by G H Amin, the Vice-President of NCUI who expressed his displeasure at the govt move and said the cooperative movement cannot be safe in the hands of bureaucrats. Incidentally, Amin belongs to the BJP fold.

Members also debated the issue of going alone without the government support as NCUI President Chandapal Singh Yadav had earlier told Indian Cooperative. According to him, if the worst comes to the worst we may even decline govt financial assistance.

Pramod Kumar Singh, GC member from Uttrakhand said the govt would repent later if it insists on handing over the cooperative movement to babus. BJP is not going to be there in power for all the time to come but the damage done would be irreversible, he lamented.

“I fail to understand that while the govt on the one hand talks of implementing the Vidyanathan Committee recommendations and 97th Constitutional Amendment and on the other it resolves to hand over the co-op movement to the ministry officials.” Bureaucrats are not accountable to people, he warned saying the BJP govt is going to suffer electorally as different state cooperative leaders will close ranks to fight it out together with the Union on the issue in each state.

Readers would recall the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has issued an order delinking NCCT from NCUI. The letter came on 22nd February. Titled “Establishing National Council of Cooperative Training (NCCT) as an independent, Central and Professional entity-delinking from National Cooperative Union of India” mentions issues from status of NCCT to Lecturer scams to annual grants given to NCCT.

The letter says that due to control of NCUI, NCCT failed to achieve its distinction and was not able to achieve its target. The reputation of its premier institute VAMNICOM also suffered and its image got tarnished due to intense politicking and mismanagement.

The Government nominee Jyotindra Mehta was however not present in the crucial meeting where it was decided that the next call on the issue would be taken soon. Indian Cooperative has learnt that NCUI has already initiated legal consultation and intends going to court seeking a stay on the order soon.

“The GC left it finally to the President and CE and those members who are Delhi based, said a participant.