Southern States - Karnataka   

Govt. plans to pep up co-op. movement

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Aug. 19. Gram sabhas are proposed to be organised by the Co-operation Department to assess the number and groups which had benefited from agriculture co-operatives in an effort to democratise and give a new life to the co-operative movement.

Disclosing this to presspersons here today, the Co-operation Minister H.Vishwanath, said that the assessment had become important due to a feeling that co-operatives had become proprietary in nature, and specially at a time when the co-operative movement would celebrate in 2004 the centenary of its launching in Dharwad.

Mr. Vishwanath said that it was planned to launch a survey to know to what extent the people who had become owners of land following the Land Reforms Act in the 1970s had used the co-operatives to improve their living conditions.

A circular would also be issued making it compulsory for co-operatives to give 20 per cent of the loans to new applicants as it had been noticed that only those who repaid loans were getting loans again and again. This would also ensure social justice to the SC/ STs, and the backward classes.

The urban co-operative banks would be asked to identify those in the unorganised sector such as fruit and vegetable sellers and other street vendors and help in their economic development. It was proposed to assist self-help groups, particularly of women, depending on the quantum of savings they effect. The Bidar District Central Co-operative Bank had already done it and this model was proposed to be extended, he added.

On the issue of Kisan credit cards, Mr. Vishwanath said that about 14 lakh families had been identified as per the Union Government's guidelines and 7.12 lakh cards had been issued. The rest would be covered before the end of March next.

Chincholi and K.R.Nagar taluks had been chosen under a scheme whose objective was to study what could be done for their comprehensive development under the co-operative sector.

The minister said that the Government proposed to bring about uniformity in recruitment so that there was representation to all sections of society, not only in the matter of loan facility but also in the management of the society.

The Finance Department had permitted recruitment of 100 auditors this year and the filling up of the vacancies would help prevent misappropriation of funds.

The amount misappropriated was Rs. 45 crore, and this could not be called high considering the fact that the working capital in the co-operative sector was more than Rs. 20,000 crore.

Mr. Vishwanath said that there were about 30,000 cases involving audit disputes and misappropriation pending at various levels, and a six-month deadline had been set for their disposal.

Some of them were pending for more than three years, he added.

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