The State Government being committed to boost the co-operative movement and to reach it to the people’s door steps as an antidote to the continuing migration from the hills to the plains, the Minister of State (independent charge) Cooperative Dhan Singh Rawat held a crucial meeting with the officials at the cooperative training centre in Dehradun on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended among others by the State BJP president Ajay Bhatt and some MlAs. During the meeting, the minister stressed on the role of the cooperatives in redressing the grievances of the farmers.
Rawat said that his ministry would soon draft a plan to strengthen the cooperative societies by making their functioning more systematic. He sought the cooperation from the people’s representatives in fulfilling the mission of the cooperatives proving instrumental in all-round progress of the state. “We have set a target to develop the cooperative societies as a movement to bring about a positive change in the condition of the villages. These societies would be made self- reliant too,” he said.
He further informed that a state level week-long conference will be hosted starting from May 13 at Parade Ground in Dehradun under the guidance of the Chief Minister and the agriculture minister. Besides, MPs and MlAs would be invited, he said.
“We are determined to turn the co-operative societies into employment generating ones involving the villages across the state. This would definitely go a long way in checking migration of the youths from the villages to the cities. The chief minister has already formed a committee headed by the minister Satpal Maharaj of which I am a member. The MlAs would be brought on board to evolve a comprehensive policy to stop migration. A target has also been set for opening 25 patrol pumps and 25 gas agencies to be operated through cooperative societies. This aside, we would bring about 50 cooperative bank branches in the areas which are devoid of banks. Besides, the Centre has set a target giving Rs 500 crore to be given to the farmers through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),” he added.
The minister further said that the rules and the manuals for cooperative secretaries would be drafted and the posts lying vacant in such societies would be filled. While 60 per cent of the seats will be filled through direct recruitment the rest would be filled through promotion. “Our objective is to recruit 70, 000 persons with stress on youths and women through cooperative societies in the state.”
“We are about to launch a score of pro-poor welfare schemes to mark the centenary year of Deen Dayal Upadhyay,” he added.
The minister said that the work is under process to make the functioning of the milk unions more effective. Around 3000 litres of milk has been sold in a week, he said.
On the occasion, Ajay Bhatt stressed on such societies inculcating a cooperative spirit among the people through perfect coordination among one and all.
Other present on the occasion were MlAs Bishan Singh Chufal, Naveen Chandra Dumka, Sanjeev Arya, Gajraj Singh Bisth, HS Mahra, D S Rawat and state BJP general secretary Naresh Bansal aside from the department officers.