The State Government on Tuesday decided to repeal the Odisha Self Help Cooperative Act 2001 on the ground that the Act lost its relevance after the amendment to the Odisha Cooperation Act 1962 in accordance with the 97th Amendment of the Constitution.
The decision was taken by the State Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Briefing reporters, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik said the Cabinet decided to dissolve all the cooperative societies registered under the Act if they do not amend their bylaws as per the amended Act within three months.
The Registrar of Cooperative Societies would take over the dissolved societies and amend the bylaws within two months, he said and added that it was decided to promulgate an ordinance in this regard soon. At present, as many as 1,634 societies are operating in the State as per the Act and all the societies would be included under the Act in force after the Constitutional amendment.
The Cabinet also decided to help the National Dairy Development Board establish a Modern Semen Centre at Kathapal in Mayurbhanj district. The State Government would provide over 134 acres of land of the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department at Kathapal to the National Dairy Development Board on a long-term lease to set up the semen centre.
The Chief Secretary said the land would be given to the NDDB on a 99-year lease. The NDDB has agreed to set up the centre and produce 35 lakh doses of semen per annum. The semen would be provided to Odisha and the neighbouring States.
Patnaik said the decision to lease the land for setting up of the semen centre was taken as the existing centre at Khapuria in Cuttack has failed to cater to the need of the State.
The Cabinet also gave it nod to hike the honorarium of State and district level consumer forum members and the sitting allowances of part-time presidents and members of both the forums. The monthly honorarium of Chairman of State-level Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum would be revised from the existing Rs 12,500 to Rs 20,000. While the salary of a District Consumer Redressal forum President would be increased from Rs 8,500 to Rs 15,000, that of a Member would be hiked from Rs 6,500 to Rs 12,000.
A provision was also made to raise the daily sitting fees of the State-level President from Rs 600 to Rs 1,500 and a State-level Member from Rs 450 to Rs 1,000. Similarly, the daily sitting fee of district-level President was increased from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 and the district-level member from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
Patnaik said the Cabinet also approved a proposal for amendment in the Odisha Public Demand Recovery Act-1962 to facilitate subsidy to special category persons representing SC and STs, Socially and Economically Backward Classes and educated youths in interest payment.