Uttarakhand Government is planning to open petrol pumps, gas agencies and medical stores through cooperatives in the state. The step is to strengthen cooperatives as also help people living in hilly areas solve the problem of covering a long distance for buying these things.
B.M.Mishra Additional Secretary, Cooperative Dept said ”the decision was taken in a recently held cabinet meeting under the leadership of State Cooperative Minister Dhan Singh Rawat. There are more than four thousand cooperative societies in the state but till now not one cooperative has ever handled businesses such as petrol pump or gas agency. The new initiative will help them generate income as well as provide people with petrol and gas at their doorstep. ” he further added.
It is for the first time that the state government is focusing on rejuvenating cooperative societies of the state. The govt. is set to help them diversify their activities as these co-ops are merely involved in distributing loans to farmers.
It is to be noted that currently petrol pumps and gas agencies are too far from the people living in hilly areas of the state and they are forced to travel scores of kilometers for availing these facilities. With the opening of petrol pumps, gas agencies and medicine stores, people living in these areas will get relief from their lingering communication difficulties.
Addressing a cooperative function organized recently by Chamoli District Central Cooperative Bank, State Cooperative Minister Dhan Singh Rawat had said, “DCCBs of the state will soon provide loans up to one lakh rupees to farmers at the rate of 2 percent. More than 15 thousand farmers will be covered under this scheme”.
He further added that,” we will also soon fill up the 450 vacancies in DCCBs of the state and give priority to the local youths in recruitment. For strengthening cooperatives, we are also planning to sell Patanjali products through these societies. Meanwhile, we have provided cows for strengthening milk cooperatives”, he claimed.
Soon after the function, Rawat also shared the photographs on social media. Readers would recall that in a recently concluded election of Uttarakhand DCCBs, Gajendra Singh Rawat has been elected unopposed as the Chairman of Chamoli DCCB.