Amit Shah takes the charge, holds first ministerial meeting

Amit Shah, whose additional charge of the cooperation ministry has energized the sector, held his first meeting with the officials of the ministry on Friday.

Besides the newly appointed MoS B L Verma, several senior officials including Sanjay Aggrwal took part in the meeting and briefed Shah about various activities undertaken by the Ministry.

NCDC Managing Director Sundeep Nayak was also part of the meeting.

Shah has an old connection with the cooperative movement since his early political days in Gujarat. He is credited with turning around the loss-making Ahmadabad DCCB in 3 years as one of its youngest Chairmen.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with top co-operators of the country the next day, that is on Saturday, the Minister gave an idea of what is in his mind regarding cooperation. On the one hand he wants PACS to be strengthened, on the other he wants big cooperatives to be still bigger.

Talking to co-operators, Shah said that a parity between PACS and FPOs would be worked out shortly. Underlining the fact that FPOs are given many sops by the govt, Shah asserted that those PACS who are in a position to avail them, would be allowed to do so.

Referring to bigger cooperatives such as IFFCO, Kribhco and others, Shah said he wants them to beat companies in their respective fields, stressing the fact that what cooperatives can do for farmers cannot be done by companies, whose sole aim is to earn profit unlike member-driven cooperatives.

To begin with, in his very first meeting Shah offered all help to co-ops like IFFCO and Kribhco and exhorted them to venture into seed production. Our farmers need quality seed and who else other than co-ops can fulfil the need , Shah is reported saying. An advanced planner, Shah already has his calculations worked out as he offered about 38000 hectares of the land for the purpose of seed production.

A man of ideas, Amit Shah’s entry into the nation’s cooperative scene has energised the sector and everyone is interpreting his presence in their own ways. While co-operators across party lines are rejoicing at the formation of a separate Cooperation Ministry, CPM leaders have called the move an attack on the federal structure of the country.

There are also others like Ashok Dabas, who has lost no chance to write on social media ever since Shah has taken over. Dabas says Shah’s entry would lead to the end of Goonda Raj in cooperatives.

A section of co-operators also feel that Shah is a decisive leader unlike his predecessors and he may do a surgical strike on those who have been occupying co-op chairs by what is known as “managed elections” time and again.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt that Shah’s entry has lent suspense and excitement to the co-operative sector, besides making it central-stage in national politics.