In a function which takes place once in two years , twenty-seven primary cooperatives were honoured with Cooperative Excellence Awards 2010 for their exemplary work in N Delhi. The awards were given by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Shri Arun Subhash Chandra Yadav.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Yadav said, the Centre is considering amendment in the Multi State Cooperative Societies Act and a Constitution Amendment Bill to address the functional and structural constraints that have crept into the system over the years. He said, he would try to increase the number of societies for awards from each of the States.
Cooperatives with a network of about 6 lakh cooperative societies of various types and levels and a membership base of more than 25 crore spread from the remotest village to the national level play a significant role in the economic development. They have an important role to play in boosting rural economy and reducing dependence on agriculture by encouraging off-farm livelihood opportunities and promoting rural infrastructure, the Minister added.
The award was to be given by Sharad Pawar but his preoccupation with non cooperative matters perhaps prevented him from participating. The award is given by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) on biennial basis to one primary level society from each State. The objective is to encourage and give due recognition to cooperatives which are able to sustain and work for development and prosperity of agrarian society.
The activities cover a wide range of work related to handlooms, marketing, consumer goods, fisheries, credit and services, large sized multi-purpose cooperative societies, horticulture, cold storage and dairy etc. He expressed hope that the awards will go a long way in instilling a new sense of hope and bring renewed vitality and vibrancy in cooperative societies to perform better in the days ahead.