A Parliamentary Standing Committee chaired by Charanjit Singh Channi has called for stronger safeguards to ensure transparency in elections of multi-state cooperative societies, with particular emphasis on compliance with banking regulations.
In its review of the functioning of the Ministry of Cooperation, the Committee noted that concerns had been raised over irregularities in elections of several Multi-State Cooperatives. In response, the Ministry informed the panel that the Cooperative Election Authority has introduced a series of reforms to strengthen the electoral process.
These include preparation of independent members’ lists and voter lists, detailed manuals for Returning Officers, and standard formats for nomination of delegates under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
The authority has also issued guidelines such as limiting the tenure of government nominees to a maximum of five years and ensuring that not more than half of a cooperative board can consist of blood relatives.
Significantly, the Committee highlighted the implementation of provisions under the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 1949, which restrict directors of cooperative banks from serving more than ten consecutive years. The measures also include a model code of conduct, appointment of election observers and mandatory filing of election expenditure reports.
The panel expressed hope that these steps would enhance transparency but urged the government to take further measures to address complaints related to cooperative elections.