Naveen Patnaik’s government is meddling with the cooperative organizations despite anvil of 97th cooperative amendment. Earlier it tried to populate “his men” in the cooperatives and now he has postponed elections in cooperatives.
In its latest meeting presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik the Odisha cabinet has taken a couple of important decisions on cooperatives. Apart from approving the proposal of the cooperation dept for postponing cooperative polls to the year 2014, the cabinet has decided to amend the Odisha cooperative societies rules 1965, the Odisha cooperative societies rules ,1995, the Odisha cooperative societies act, 1962, into the Odisha cooperative societies (amendment])act 2012.
The latter has been amended to bring it in line with the 97th amendment act of the constitution.
Because of the govt.decision to postpone the cooperative polls, several thousands of cooperative organisations in the state would automatically come under the govt.control.
Postponement of polls has been justified on the ground that the rules for holding elections have not yet been worked out. However , it is necessary that the state cooperative commission okays the rules to be formulated for the polls.