G.RamaMoorthy, President of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh Multi State Cooperative Urban Banks Federations ( TS& AP MSCUB Fed) has written to NCUI seeking its support in his fight against the new Telengana Co-op Act adopted in the wake of division of the state.
Moorthy writes “Consequent to the formation of the new Telangana State, the Government has to either adopt the old Act of the composite State or to enact a new Act. Therefore, on 20th May 2016 the Government of Telangana has adopted the Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Societies Act, 1964 with some drastic changes in the Telangana Cooperative Societies Act. Some of the provisions in the new Act are against democratic and cooperative principles.”
A delegation of the Federation called on the Minister for Cooperation, Government of Telangana in May this year and brought to his notice certain harsh provisions of the Act and requested him to modify the Act and make it friendly to the cooperative sector. Despite a patient hearing given by by the minister to the delegation, nothing concrete has happened so far, lamented Moorthy.
He said” Minister was kind enough to advise us to point out points in the Act which were not conducive to the growth of the cooperative movement in Telangana State. He also instructed the Principal Secretary to Government and Registrar of Cooperative Societies to hold discussions with our delegation and bring back to his notice the outcome of the discussions. “
Accordingly, representatives of the Federation discussed with the Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies on 23rd May 2016 and with the Registrar of Cooperative Societies on 24th May 2016. The Registrar of Cooperative Societies assured us that he will acquaint the Minister with the outcome of the discussions held with us, he said.
On 28th May 2016 the government had issued G.O. Ms. No.56 wherein the eligible cooperative urban banks were exempt from certain provisions like renewal of registration of society for each 5 years (Section 8A), supersession of the committee Section 34 (1) Sub Clause (b) (v) (this clause was subsequently deleted) and Section 115B (vii) was re-modified providing for “no member of a Board of eligible cooperative bank shall be eligible to be elected as its chairperson or president after he has held the office as such during two consecutive terms, whether full or part”, in place of the existing provision of barring a director/committee member to contest election for the second term.
The modifications issued in G.O. Ms.No.56 are to pacify the UCB sector. But on the whole the hardships in the Act for the cooperative sector were not eliminated.
Later the Telangana State Committee of Federation organised a seminar in June on the provisions of the new Telangana Cooperative Societies Act. The seminar observed that the new Telangana Cooperative Societies Act was ordered in haste without regard to the universally accepted cooperative principles, he writes.
The seminar also opined that the new Telangana Cooperative Societies Act is against the spirit of the 97th Constitutional Amendment which was aimed at promoting voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies (proposed Article 43-B).
The seminar also observed that the hardships of cooperative societies in the new Telangana Cooperative Societies Act be brought to the notice of the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of Telangana and the President, NCUI urging them to get hardships in the new Telangana Cooperative Societies Act relieved.
