Dr Nandini Azad, the President of a robust co-op network in South India WWF and ICNW participated in the NCUI’s hybrid meeting called to deliberate on the proposed amendments in the MSCS Act 2002.
Listing her Recommendations as that from WWF/ICNW on Amending the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, She writes “The proposed amendments are intended to enhance the public faith in cooperatives and to ensure better accountability of managements towards their members and the law of the land.”
“To ensure presence of experts on the board, it is proposed that the co-opted directors should have experience in the field of banking, finance or specialised in any field relating to the activities of the MSCS”, Nandini underlines.
She argued that the proposed amendments also include provision for cooperative information officers and appellate authority to provide information to the members about the affairs and management of the society.
Reservation of seats for the SC/ST and women on the board, constitution of interim board of experts for rehabilitation of a sick society, election authority for conduct of election, developments of cooperative societies have also been proposed.
Let us first congratulate the Government on the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act 2002, she said.
“We are particularly concerned that the statutory requirement by the Supreme Court on 2 lady members appointment mandatorily must be upheld. Representing women co-operators in South India we are glad if both women’s quota and SC/ST quota is enforced in the MSCS Act 2002” she argued.
Nandini concludes that the proposed amendment is very helpful to the cooperative movement, and hence we at WWF and ICNW appreciate the proposed amendment bill.
It bears recall that the MSCS Bill is likely to be placed in the House during the monsoon session. The list of bills proposed in the monsoon session also includes the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill but one does not know if finally, it will be taken up or not.
It bears recalling that the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill will strengthen the government’s role in cooperatives and increase participation in the working of multi-state cooperative societies, to raise the general public’s faith in them and create a favourable environment for their growth and development.