Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the government was determined to revive and revitalise the defunct cooperatives.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that inaugurating the 69th All India Cooperative Week celebrations across J&K during a function at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, University of Jammu, the LG commended the significant role being played by all stakeholders associated with the cooperative movement in building a strong ecosystem for the growth of the cooperative sector in J&K.
He said that the Jan-Andolan for promotion of social enterprises, its values, and principles to establish equality, equity, and solidarity were pivotal for bringing socio-economic development for inclusive growth in rural J&K.
The LG said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, the cooperatives were being transformed into an effective economic instrument for ensuring growth in sectors like agriculture, handicraft, sugar, dairy, textiles, fisheries, storage, food processing and upliftment of small and marginal farmers.
He said that cooperatives were perhaps the best medium to reach out to the far-flung areas of J&K and the poor and marginalised sections.
The LG said that in the era of startups and unicorns, there was a need to meet the aspiration of the youth and cooperatives need to constantly reinvent themselves.
“Cooperatives should be established as one of the pillars for economic and social development,” he said.
Highlighting the achievements made under the cooperative sector in J&K, the LG shared the government’s vision to strengthen the cooperative movement in J&K.
“This year’s theme ‘India@75: Growth of Cooperatives and Future Ahead’ is our resolve to build a resilient and viable business ecosystem of the cooperatives with the special participation of youth and women and enable the cooperative-based economic model to realise the Mantra of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi,’” he said.
The LG said that the cooperatives need to address the challenges that the rural economy and people were facing and should offer financial and non-financial benefits.
“Since it is driven by local members who understand the needs, it can have a greater impact on health, education, agriculture, credit, tourism, green energy, and hospitality sectors,” the LG said.
He said that the J&K administration was laying special thrust on registration of cooperatives, training and capacity building of stakeholders, modernising cooperative markets, bringing transparency in the system, creating new markets, and enabling government departments to purchase directly from these markets.
“We have registered 1006 cooperatives in the last year and 31,578 members were trained during Jan-Abhiyan. It shows that the determined efforts are being made to widen the network and ensure capacity building for the professional functioning of the cooperatives,” the LG said. “We are also determined to revive and revitalise the defunct cooperatives. Recapitalisation amount of Rs 255.71 crore in favour of three District Central Cooperative Banks was released to improve their fiscal health.”
He said that the cooperatives also need to improve business viability and capacity to create employment and income to empower people.
“The creation of new cooperatives should be people-driven, the demand for new cooperatives should come from society and their success as a commercial entity will encourage others,” the LG said.
He underscored the need to promote close coordination among the primary, district, and state-level cooperatives.
“Cross-marketing efforts among Self-Help Groups and Handicraft Cooperatives can contribute to women empowerment and various income-generating activities. Such efforts can transform cooperatives in rural areas as vibrant entities,” the LG said.
He said that the government’s focus was on the promotional drive for the formation of new multi-purpose cooperatives, reducing regional imbalance by increasing more cooperatives per person and exploring new and commercially viable sectors.
The LG also called for replicating successful models of other states and preparing a comprehensive framework, keeping in mind the viability and the vulnerable sections of the society.
“There should be a proper representation of members of deprived and marginalised sections in the cooperative sector,” he said.
The LG called for providing capital infusion and market access to FPOs through the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and encouraging them to undertake the construction of godowns, as was being done in other states and union territories.
He also spoke on the efforts being made for establishing multipurpose and multidimensional Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in every village.
Advisor to Lt Governor Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar said the motto of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ was dedicated to the upliftment and benefit of the common man through cooperatives.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo said that the cooperative sector was being rejuvenated with renewed energy.
He extended his greetings on the inauguration of the 69th All India Cooperative Week.
In her address Secretary Cooperative Department, Yasha Mudgal highlighted the achievements of the department and informed about the aims and objectives of the 69th All India Cooperative Week.
She said that after three decades, J&K was witnessing the launch of the Dairy Cooperative Federation which would explore the untapped potential of milk production and processing.
On the occasion, the LG handed over registration certificates to FPOs and cooperatives, felicitated cooperative societies, and also inspected the stalls set up by the Cooperative Department.
A compendium of the Cooperative Department was also released.
ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh was also present on the occasion
