The 8th Cooperative Congress concluded in Kannur this week has come up with India’s first Cooperative Policy for a state and would be placed before Kerala’s Cabinet on February 21, claimed state co-op minister Kadakampally Surendran.
The Co-op Policy for Kerala included subjects like a professional audit system for credit co-ops, amalgamation of DCCBs into a Kerala Co-op Bank and an overall thrust for strengthening the co-op movement in the state. The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier blamed the Modi govt for weakening the co-op movement in the state.
Besides cooperatives active in the state, representatives of several national level co-op federations were invited for the Congress. NCUI Chief Executive N Satyanarayan also attended the event as did the MD of Fishcopfed B K Mishra.
Talking to Indian Cooperative soon after the meeting Fishcopfed MD B K Mishra who was a Resource person at
Cooperative Congress said ‘the program was very well organized. Similar program should be organized in every State to give a boost to the Cooperative Sector.” Mishra also made a presentation on the fishery sector in the Congress. Earlier, the CM said he wanted the fishery sector to grow on the lines of dairy.
The draft policy to be placed before the Cabinet was discussed thoroughly by the Congress, said Minister Surendran. “As more than 90 per cent of co-op banks in the state were in loss, the setting up of Kerala Co-op Bank by merging them would be a kind of Onam gift to the people of the state”, Minister underlined. He was confident that the new bank would get operational by October this year.
More than 3000 people attended the event which concluded with a massive co-op rally of more than one lakh people, claim media reports. Cooperative ministers of both Kerala and Puducherry namely Kadakampally Surendran and M Kandaswamy Sellur K Raju were present. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala also participated in the event.
The Next Cooperative Congress which would be 9th would take place now in 2021, said the Minister.
