National Cooperative Development Corporation, NCDC could help realize the dream of a successful cooperative movement in the country. But the organization is mostly busy in “shows and seminars” without taking a plunge in the nitty-gritty of cooperative movement.
Recently it held an event in Imphal in collaboration with Institute of Cooperative Management (A body under NCUI) commemorating the U.N. Declaration of the year 2012 as the year of cooperatives.
A large number of important people including Cooperation and Social Welfare Minister A.K.Mirabai, S.K Tucker, Thailung Pamei, and P.Vaiphei attended the inaugural function.
In her remarks on the occasion, Mirabai called upon the cooperative societies to develop a strong sense of responsibility in financial matters. The minister added they should also utilize the opportunities being offered by the NCDC schemes.
Scores of leaders called upon removal of poverty using the energy of the cooperative movement. They emphasized that the cooperative movement could play an important role in ending inequality in society.
Indian cooperative movement is suffering from lack of fund. There are scores of cooperative entrepreneurs spread across nation who could fashion out a successful cooperative if NCDC goes proactive.
But many such projects are gathering dust as they are caught in the bureaucratic red-tapes of NCDC. But NCDC never loses a chance to hold seminars like the ones it held recently in Chandigarh.
NCDC’s mandate is quite clear. Backed by solid fund from the government it has to help a cooperative entrepreneur conceive a viable project and help it with necessary fund to make it successful.
How far NCDC is effective in its job is clear if one takes a detour of any state of the nation. Swathes of land have nothing else to do other than agrarian activities in a country which is teeming with entrepreneurs.
Despite this if some of the daring entrepreneurs are able to place their projects before NCDC , it gets caught up in insurmountable red-tapes.
NCDC’s “slow or no-pace” is obvious from an experience of Indian Cooperative.com which sent a letter to it to conduct an interview of the Managing Director in the International Year of Cooperative. The application is gathering dust with no takers.
Without understanding the functioning of NCDC, a false propaganda is made about funding by NCDC. Red tapism and delays were encountered only with State recommended projects and not with NCDC Direct Finance Scheme.