Ensure federal structure is intact: Panel tells Centre on Cooperation Ministry

A parliamentary panel has welcomed the Centre’s decision to create a separate Ministry of Cooperation to strengthen cooperative movement, but cautioned that “utmost prudence” should be exercised while chalking out programmes at the national level, so that federal features of the country are not “impinged upon”.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing presented its report related to Demand of Grants for the Ministry of Cooperation on Thursday.

The panel expressed happiness over the government’s decision to create a separate Ministry of Cooperation for strengthening the cooperative sector in the country, to realise the vision From Cooperation to Prosperity.

The panel noted that the subject Cooperative Societies is a state subject included in Item No 32 of List-II (State List) in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. The cooperative societies registered under the State Cooperation Societies Acts are governed by the concerned Registrars of Cooperative Societies.

Many cooperative institutions have also been set up under the State Cooperative Laws for the promotion of cooperative societies.

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“Taking into account all these factors, the Committee…express the view that the Ministry of Cooperation shall exercise utmost prudence in chalking out its activities/schemes/programmes at the national level so that the federal features of the country are not impinged upon and all the stakeholders in the cooperative sector are duly benefitted,” the report said.

Moreover, the panel asked the ministry to take time-bound action for resolving all issues related to establishment matters expeditiously. It recommended that the ministry should persistently pursue the posting of more and more staff till it gets its total sanctioned strength of manpower.

The ministry has been allocated ₹900 crore in the Budget Estimates for 2022-23 against their projected demand of ₹3,250 crore. The panel expected the ministry to implement the monthly expenditure plan as contained in the Detailed Demands for Grants 2022-23.

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The panel also welcomed the new policy initiatives of the ministry and hoped that the New National Cooperation Policy will be evolved after a thorough analysis of issues and corrective remedial measures were finalised through wider consultations with all the stakeholders in the sector.

“According to the Ministry, the cooperative sector is facing a host of serious issues like lack of effective governance, leadership and professional management, low level of technology adoption, etc, affecting accelerated and equitable growth of cooperatives. The committee are sure that these hurdles need to be removed by all means,” the report said.

(With inputs from Agencies)