Maharashtra Government has recently asked all Urban Cooperative Banks of the state from participating in the prize giving functions organized by private Institutions not connected to the cooperative sector. This notification has sparked a debate among cooperators of the state.
The notification has come in the wake of several private institutions organizing such events with the intention of earning money, government sources opine. It may not be out of place to mention here that Maharashtra has the highest number of viable cooperatives in the country.
Talking to this correspondent in Pune, Vidhyadhar Anaskar Chairman of Maharashtra Urban Cooperative Banks Federation said “On behalf of the federation we have asked the Maharashtra Government to define private institutions. As there are several social institutions working for the cooperative sector and not at all involved in earning profit, such bodies should not be banned”, he said.
Meanwhile, the notification has been issued to all UCBs – a move that has sparked a debate insisting institutions working for the cooperative sector should not be banned. Maharashtra is the only state that has banned UCBs taking prizes from private institutions, they argue.
However, there are several people who have welcomed the move saying “If an urban cooperative Bank of the state would receive an award from a private institution it would advertise this to gain undue publicity.
It bears recall that private institutions are giving awards in different categories such as Best NPA Management, Best Chairman, Best Car Loan, and others. These institutions are totally ignorant of what is being done by banks and they do so only to collect money.
While talking to this correspondent chairmen of many urban cooperative banks took a dim view of the ban saying it is their right to get honored for their good work.
The government has asked all the Urban Cooperative Banks to get awards only from recognized institutions working for the upliftment of cooperatives like Pune based Vamnicom.