Chizokho Vero
Kohima | November 14
Parliamentary Secretary, Co-Operation, Fire and Emergency Services R Khing today said that a massive cancellation of defunct and non-functioning societies is in the offing by the next financial year. Khing said that the cooperative scenario in Nagaland, requires a ‘remedial review,’ adding that though there has been quantitative growth, the cooperation sector has been beset with several constraints and unhealthy state of affairs.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the 53rd All Indian Co-operative Week here at Hotel Japfu, Khing regretted that the cooperative societies and their members are yet to be fully conversant with the principles of co-operation.
He said that a realistic perspective to strive towards genuine entrepreneurship of economic activity evolving into a mechanism of resource mobilization, income generation, gainful employment, wealth creation etc., has been accorded a serious thought by the department.
“As such a corrective as well as a preventive approach for shaping the cooperative movement into true cooperative spirit of a people’s movement is being earnestly addressed by the government and the department by adopting some strategy,” he said.
The areas identified by the government include, the role of the government in ensuring that the benefits of liberalization and globalization in the emerging economic environment are percolated to the cooperatives in the state through suitable fiscal policies to provide support and protection to the cooperative movement through suitably designed investment programmes, to initiate structural reforms in order to improve the functioning of the cooperatives at various levels to ensure greater efficiency and viability.
These may include steps to devise suitable mechanism for rehabilitation of ‘sick cooperatives,’ expedite winding up of defunct societies etc and to support the cooperative movement to develop human resources, cooperative education and training, appropriate technologies and infrastructural facilities so as to promote professional management in cooperatives down to the primary level for their greater functional and operational efficiency.
Khing said that the department was already in the process of implementing those strategies by having redeemed the Nagaland State Co-operative Bank with a capital infusion of Rs. 13 crore during 2005-06 and another committed amount of Rs. 12 crore during the current financial year.
The state government has provided funds for upgrading and modernizing the state run existing Co-operative Training Centre into a multi-discipline training institute.
The process was already underway to enact the state own Co-operative Act, he said.
“With the coming of age of the co-operatives, government policies towards cooperatives in Nagaland shall essentially be supportive with continued patronage through legislative as well as administrative reforms,” he added.
V. Kehie, registrar Co-operative Societies, Nagaland, Kohima deputy commissioner R Ramakrishnan, IAS also spoke on the occasion.
Meanwhile, the celebration will go on till November 20 across the state with the culmination programme scheduled at Agri Expo site, Dimapur.
