A cooperator is first a cooperator has been underlined once again by the UCF Chairman Pramod Kumar Singh who says whatever the stripe of the govt it has a tendency to throttle the autonomy of cooperative organizations.
Singh’s statement assumes importance considering he is a known Congressman with his FB walls pasted with photographs of him along with Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
To a question as to ways the govt tries to control cooperatives Singh said it interferes even in cases where it has no financial stakes and they do it quoting this Act or that Act to our discomfiture.
While there is a global trend leaning towards autonomy of cooperatives, the govt officials wish to own co-operatives as their personal fiefdom, he lamented.
UCF has a running feud with the state govt on the issue of Education Fund. The matter is in court and UCF Chairman is optimistic about winning the legal battle.
While legally the custodian of the fund is UCF, in practice the Registrar of Cooperatives controls it. UCF has dragged the matter to court after negotiations had failed. The verdict is likely to come soon, said Pramod.