Sahakar Bharati the RSS arm in the cooperative field has launched a major campaign aimed at strengthening the cooperative movement in the country and has issued an appeal urging all to get involved in its efforts.
It has begun a systematic study of the prevailing state cooperative laws that impinge upon the provisions of the 97th CAA and deny its gains. The 97th CAA had catapulted “forming cooperative” into a Fundamental Right.
A mail received by Indian Cooperative from Satish Marathe the patron of Sahakar Bharati reads “Centre For Study & Research in Co Operation, a research Foundation and Sahakar Bharati have undertaken project to list Sections & Rules in State Cooperative Acts which infringe on the Citizens’ Fundamental Right to form Co-operative.
Co-operatives which have a distinct form of ownership, are essentially economic enterprises and they need autonomy and a level playing field in terms of opportunities to be able to effectively contribute in the developmental process of the country, Marathe argues.
The present laws have several restrictive sections and rules, besides these being against the Principles of Co-operation, also confer wide discretionary and quasi judicial powers on the bureaucracy and ministers, he felt.
This often results in political and administrative interference, leading to political hegemony of the ruling class as well as corruption, Marathe added.
Satish Marathe is also consulting Bhubaneshwar based Santanu Kumar Mohanty who had scripted the Autonomous
“We seek active support – legal, financial and secretarial – from cooperatives and cooperators in our endeavour to rejuvenate the cooperative movement in the country” Marathe appealed to the cooperative fraternity.