NCUI opens its office with skeletal staff; others to follow suit

The co-operative sector, which has been under the 21-day lock down as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slowly opening up with the apex body NCUI deciding to start functioning from Monday (13th April, 2020).

“I am on my way and have phoned a few more staff-members to come to the office”, said N Satyanarayan, Chief Executive Monday morning to Indian Cooperative. There has been a government directive to open offices with the help of a skeleton team, CE added.

It bears recall that the co-op banks including the UCBs are already working. Amul, the dairy co-op giant is also operating overtime to cater to the needs of people. The fertilizer units of IFFCO and Kribhco are also operational despite issues of transportation.

Meanwhile, on 11^th April, the Central govt has ordered the opening of govt offices where officers of Joint Secretary level and above have been asked to join. They have been also asked not to call all the lower staff but just enough to carry out the basic assignments.

Though a co-op body which is governed by an elected Governing Council, NCUI has been following the rules and regulations of the Central govt. The decision of NCUI to open up is largely due to this.

Besides, there are issues which are to be addressed sooner than later, said the CE referring to the govt grant for the apex body for the year 2020-21. NCUI roughly gets a grant of Rs 7-8 crore from the government to run training courses as well as to oversee the working of Field Projects.

“We have to make proposals and move to the govt for the release of grant; when the Ministry is open, we cannot sit idle’, said Satyanarayan underlining the compulsion of opening the NCUI offices.

It bears recall that more than Rs 4 crore of grant for the last financial year has still not been released and NCUI wishes to get both-this year’s as well as that of the past year this time.

It is learnt that the Ministry released a portion of the grant for funding Field Projects but withheld some due to a variety of reasons including a legal fight on the issue of separation of NCCT from the parent body.

A govt notification dated 11th April allows some more activities with reasonable safeguards till a final decision regarding extension and nature of the national lockdown is taken by the Central Government.

These new activities are essential to improve the economic activity and provide liquidity in the hands of the people. These suggestions have been obtained on the basis of a detailed interaction of the Hon’ble CIM with various States and industry bodies and the feedback received by DoC and DPIIT from various sources, the notification reads.