Fifth National Labour Cooperative Congress was held in NCUI auditorium on Wednesday in N Delhi.
National Labour Cooperatives Federation of India is an apex organization of Labour Cooperative Movement in the country. Role of Labour Cooperatives for generating employment to women and youth by increasing their technical efficiency was the theme of Congress.
About 400 delegates from labour cooperatives , Special Invitees from Cooperative Sector, Senior Officers of Union Ministries and State Governments, NCDC, NABARD, NCUI, International Organizations i.e. ILO, ICA, participated in the said Congress.
Vilas Rao Deshmukh ji, Hon’ble Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Govt. of India inaugurated the Congress.
The congress reviewed the implementation of recommendations of 4th National Labour Cooperative Congress and also considered the achievements and problems of Labour Cooperatives in detail.
Congress reviewed the concessions and facilities being provided by the different State Governments and Central Government Ministries and suggested ways and means for larger coverage of the population under Labour Cooperative Sector to the extent of 30% of weaker sections as against the present coverage of 10% .
Union Rural Development Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh said that infrastructure development projects should be implemented through labour cooperatives in rural areas in order to generate more employment.
Deshmukh, who inaugurated the fifth National Labour Cooperative Congress in N Delhi at NCUI auditorium, said the state government should prioritise labour cooperatives while allocating development projects like ‘Indira Awas Yojna’ and ‘Pradhanmantri Sadak Vikas Yojna’ in rural areas.
“Advocating exemption from direct taxes for rural labour cooperatives,” he said, and added that the Rural Development Ministry has consulted other departments for amendment in the new tax slabs.
Guaranteeing full support from the government, Deshmukh said: “Corruption prevailing in the cooperative structure should be checked and fund leakages should be rectified.”