GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE ALL HELP TO COOPERATIVES, SAYS RAJNATH SINGH
The Agriculture
Ministry will continue to provide all possible help to the cooperative
movement to enable it to march ahead with other sectors of the
economy.The Agriculture Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh said this
at a function organised by the National Cooperative Union of India
here today. He said that co-operatives have a great potential
to contribute to the growth and prosperity of the nation and well
being of the people. Shri Rajnath Singh lamented that in spite
of phenomenal growth of cooperatives, the cooperative sector is
facing various constraints and challenges relating to lack of
resources, lack of professionalism and lack of awareness of cooperative
values, etc., among members. The Minister pointed out that the
new economic scenario has thrown upon new challenges and opportunities
before the cooperative sector. There is a need to lay emphasis
on management excellence to improve the functional efficiency
of cooperatives to take advantage of these opportunities.
Speaking on the
occasion, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Hukum Deo
Narain Yadav stressed the need to strengthen the cooperative movement
for the benefit of small and marginal farmers.
The Centre has
already put in place a National Policy on Cooperatives to facilitate
all round development of cooperatives in the country. The policy
enunciates that cooperatives would be provided necessary legislative
and policy support and assistance to enable them to work as autonomous,
self-reliant and democratically managed institutions accountable
to their members. A Task Force under the chairmanship of Shri
Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, has finalized an action plan for implementation
of the policy within a definite time frame.
The cooperative
movement in India is the largest in the world having more than
half a million cooperative societies with a membership of about
230 million. Cooperatives have covered 100% of the country’s villages
and 75% of rural households. They have created a formidable base
in various segments of the Indian economy like credit and banking,
fetilizers , sugar, dairy, marketing, fisheries, housing, labour,
handloom and handicrafts, etc. Cooperatives are disbursing 46%
of the total agricultural credit and are contributing 28% of the
total fertrilizer production along with fertilizer distribution
of 36%. 59% of the country’s sugar output also comes from cooperatives.
Dairy Cooperatives have helped India attain top position in milk
production in the world.
