Anaskar exhorts Shah to help check conversion of UCBs

Maharashtra’s veteran cooperator and State Cooperative Council Chairman Vidyadhar Anaskar raised issues of the Urban Cooperative Sector in his speech given at a function organized at Ahmednagar last week, in which Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah was the chief guest.

Anaskar reminded that “Forming a cooperative has been considered as the fundamental right in the constitution but despite this, the RBI is not giving license for opening cooperative banks since 2002 and the permission for expanding the branch network is also not being given to co-ops banks”.

He added that according to article 19(4) of the Indian Constitution, the RBI can put reasonable restrictions but they can’t refuse to give permission. In such a situation, the policy adopted by the Reserve Bank regarding cooperative banks is contrary to this sector.

Anaskar also spoke on the RBI forcing cooperative banks to convert themselves into Small Finance Banks. “The RBI intention is to convert co-ops banks into private banks. This act of RBI is like forcing a citizen to convert to another religion. Co-ops banks are the backbone of the co-op movement. There is an urgent need to look at these matters in the interest of the co-op movement”, asserted Anaskar, who is also the President of Maharashtra Urban Cooperative Banks Federation.

Apart from this, Anaskar also touched on different issues which included the youth participation in cooperatives, urgent need to include a chapter on co-ops in the syllabus of schools and colleges, deliberations on giving some benefits to the board members of co-ops organizations, need to establish the co-operative university, different co-op laws for co-ops working in the different sector, etc.

“Credit Co-op Societies of states should be treated on par with Multi-State Co-ops. A similar policy should be adopted regarding cooperatives across the country. Those members who participate more in cooperative organizations should be given more voting rights”, he demanded.

 It bears recalling that Amit Shah’s maiden visit to Maharashtra generated heat among co-operators of the state, as he laid emphasis on rising above the narrow politics in matters of cooperative movement. Shah levelled a scathing attack on the MVA govt for meting out a step-motherly treatment to co-ops headed by opposition leaders.

Anaskar was present when Shah addressed a co-operative rally in Ahmednagar and it was here that Anaskar raised many issues concerning co-ops before the Minister, who heard him out patiently.

Underscoring the importance of co-ops for the state, Union Minister Amit Shah said Maharashtra’s cooperation movement is as holy as Kashi for many people”.