The National Organizing Committee of Sahakar Bharati ( a body for promoting cooperatives in various fields) has sought the withdrawal of several of the proposed amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Act.
Talking to Indian Cooperative Satish Marathe, President of Sahakar Bharati, termed some of the amendments proposed in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Bill 2010 obnoxious.
“I do not have papers before me and so I cannot explain point-wise the sections which are detrimental to the cooperative movement. The UPA govt introduced many such amendments which the Parliamentary Committee headed by Basudev Acharya rejected outright as going against the spirit of the cooperative movement”, Marathe added.
Sahkar Bharati Chief said “in nutshell, it proposed sweeping changes such as without the concurrence of AGM , the term of elected board could be enhanced or reduced. Further it proposes that if a cooperative society is in loss for three consecutive years it can be liquidated or its properties mortgaged.”
The UPA government aimed to convert cooperatives into trusts with little vision usurping all power and initiative from the elected board , Marathe said.
Stating that 19 amendments in all are proposed in the Bill, he said some of them will have a major impact on the multi-state cooperatives. One of the Parliamentary Committee members Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has become Minister in the new government. You can ask him, he was opposed to many of the govt recommendations, Marathe added.
It was cooperative’s sheer luck that the govt could not pass the bill due to other pressing engagements. Now we appeal to the new govt to re-open the entire issue and seek opinions of all the stake-holders.
Readers would recall that NCUI President Chandra Pal Singh Yadav had also earlier, in an interview to Indian Cooperative opposed many of the recommendations on the proposed amendments in the MSCS Act 2002.
Sahkar Baharati politically leaning right has opposed it . Thus it has strengthened the voice against the draconian amendments. We have the meeting of Delhi Chapter on 14th and 15th June when the debate on the issue would be carried forward, added Mr Marathe.