There cannot be a case of disinformation bigger than this. I have literally gone begging for them from the Governing Council to the Ministry and what I get is this, a pained Chief Executive told Indian Cooperative when he was presented with the grievances of the project officers.
One of the charges against Dr Dinesh is that while the President of NCUI Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav wants to help the project employees Dr Dinesh plays the spoiler. Project officers have also accused him of not briefing the Ministry about their woes in a proper manner.
Their salaries were not being paid for 5-6 months when I joined and I had to work hard with the then Central Registrar Mr R K Tiwary to get salaries released, recounted Dinesh. In fact, had I not been there the projects would have closed down long time back, he remarked.
I strongly put the case of their extension every year in the Governing Council and got it done, he added. Readers would note that the projects are granted annual renewal and it is to be passed in the Governing Council of the apex body National Cooperative Union of India. Indian Cooperative has learnt that many a time the members of the GC are not in favor of the idea of extension and Dr Dinesh has to literally beg for it.
To understand their unique position you will have to delve deep into history, said Dinesh to this correspondent. The idea of field projects was conceived to strengthen the cooperative movement in areas where none existed. They were like mobile vans of the movement which would put up tent and train local people in the cooperative ways of life. There are 45 of them spread across states, he added.
There are 3-4 categories of staff associated with the project such as project officer, farm guide inspector, cooperative education inspector and lady mobilizer but practically most of them are managed by just one person.
Dr Dinesh said it was he who got their salaries increased by 35 per cent. I had planned it big as I thought of offering them an increment of 100 percent but failed owing to a host of reasons, he added.
But I want to ask them as to why did they not go to court when the govt restricted their service conditions way back in 2007. From scale-structure they were converted into contractual structure and were offered consolidated amount not exceeding Rs 15000. It was I who thought of increasing their salaries when I realized they deserved more than what they are getting, explained the Chief Executive.
Indian Cooperative has gathered that these officers were advised against going to court and their appointments were also shrouded in mysteries. They were appointed on the whims of local cooperative leaders and mostly ended up as their personal staff. They feared if they challenged the govt move, it may lead to opening up of the Pandaro’s box and they may not get what they are getting through the method of Consolidated payment.
But Dr Dinesh also takes pride in the fact that some of projects are doing wonderful. Quoting Piggery of Manipur, goat-rearing of Trivenduram, Simoga project of Karnataka and many other women empowerment projects launched by them, Dr Dinesh said Vinod Giri of Sikkim Project has become the Deputy Director in the Ministry.
”It was only me who ensured each of them would get their salaries in their accounts dispensing with the practice of sending money in the accounts of the local cooperator. Go and ask R k Tiwary with whom I had discussions about opening at least 100 projects to cover 6 lakh villages of the country,” said Dinesh.
”We even constituted a committee to review their salaries and the members paid trips to some of the projects in far flung areas and sent recommendations to the government. But what they fail to underdstand is that it is not in our hand it is the govt which has to take a final call on their present as well as future, Dr Dinesh noted.