Karnataka - Bangalore

Strengthen coop. sector: ex-Minister

BANGALORE: President of the Karnataka State Cooperative Federation G.T. Deve Gowda has called for strengthening of the cooperative sector.

Speaking at the empowerment of youth, women and marginalised classes day, organised as part of the 54th All-India Cooperative Week here on Sunday, Mr. Gowda said the cooperative sector would get more strength by empowering women, youth and the marginalised classes and giving them credit link and marketing facilities. Mr. Gowda, a former Minister for Cooperation, said cooperatives in the country did a business of over Rs. 2 lakh crore a year. He said the State which had given birth to the cooperative movement had over 33,000 cooperatives, out of which 26,000 were working satisfactorily.

He said women cooperatives had begun showing good results in the State. There were 28 cooperative banks fully managed by women in the State. They were doing a business of Rs. 100 crore and their record of lending and recovery was impressive.

Even milk societies run by women’s cooperatives were doing well. On a day-to-day basis, women’s milk societies were disbursing Rs. 3 crore a day to dairy farmers, he added. However, the membership had not grown at the expected level, he said. He called upon cooperatives to work towards increasing their memberships.

On the occasion, 12 cooperative organisations and individuals were honoured for their outstanding work in the sector. They include Girijana Lamp Society of Gundlupet, SC/ST Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative Society of Hampalakatte, Women’s Coir Industries Cooperative of Hegade in Kumta taluk, Kamakashipura Women Milk Producers Coperative Society of Bangalore North Taluk, Vanishree Vishwanath of Singanayakanahalli, Sharada Kharvi of Udupi, Girijadevi of Gulbarga, Chennamma Mallikarjuna Shettar of Haveri, and M.S. Shantala, Sangeeta.G.S. and Chinmayi Atreyas of Bangalore.

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