D N Thakur, the former NCDC Deputy MD has joined Sahakar Bharati as its national Vice-President. His name was announced by Sahakar Bharati President Ramesh Vaidya in Pune on the side lines of a meeting recently.
Having taken VRS from the govt, Thakur was restless giving shape to his idea of a successful cooperative. “Leaders mostly do not understand the strength of cooperative and bureaucrats do not understand its spirit”, said Thakur explaining why he decided to take a plunge with Sahakar Bharati.
Senior leaders of Sahakar Bharati zeroed in on Thakur’s name during two day meeting of National Organizing Committees held in Pune. Different committees or cells of Sahakar Bharati sit once in a while reviewing progress made in their respective sectors. “It was here that our President announced his (Thakur’s) name”, said Satish Marathe to Indian Cooperative.
Thakur brings with him a huge store of experience of the cooperative sector, having worked for a number of years in the ministry of agriculture and cooperation. “It was during his tenure that a record number of co-ops were accorded multi state status”, recall cooperators. He took VRS from NCDC recently, startling his friends and family.
“There cannot be poverty in a country where cooperative movement is robust. It is a distinct form of business enterprise and I can easily see each PACS capable of employing 10 persons full time”, Thakur said giving hint of his future plan.
Excited with his new assignment Thakur has begun moving around enlisting people in the cooperative fold. Soon after his appointment he left for Bihar and held a series of meetings exhorting people to join Sahakar Bharati. “I held meetings in Patna, Darbhanga and in Madhubani”, said Thakur.
There are 28 crore people associated with cooperative in one way or the other and we need to enlist at least 10 crore of them into Sahakar Bharati, said Thakur. Placing membership drive as his top agenda Thakur said that for a country like India largely dependent on the agrarian economy, a healthy cooperative structure is the key to success.
Cooperators cutting across party lines have hailed Thakur’s decision to plunge headlong into cooperative movement, calling him an asset for the movement. Indian Cooperative also joins others in wishing him success in his new venture!
