Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday announced that the Government would assist in setting up multipurpose women’s cooperative societies in every taluk across Karnataka.
“I had suggested the idea of setting up cooperatives for women sometime back. The Government will invest in share capital. Let them (women’s cooperatives) invest only 10% of the paid up capital and the Government will invest 90%,” he said at a function here to felicitate those involved in the cooperative movement with the Sahakara Ratna award. “The Government will create opportunities for women in the cooperative sector and they will get further value to their work,” he added.
He also said that his Government would soon enable funding to cooperative societies from the Karnataka Legislators’ Local Area Development Fund. He will also take action to increase deposits of the Government in DCC bank, and discuss with Education Minister on the possibility of adding cooperative as part of curriculum.
Stating that the cooperative movement was an answer to communism and capitalism, the Chief Minister urged those in cooperative sector not to become cooperative capitalists. “There are many who occupy posts permanently and become cooperative capitalists,” he said.
He lamented that while Karnataka saw institutions that were among the first to be launched in cooperative sector in the country, the State was lagging when compared with Maharashtra and Gujarat. “Some of the old cooperatives are in a bad state. While in Maharashtra and Gujarat, cooperatives have the strength to control the Government, here we all join together to control a cooperative. That is the difference.”
Referring to the penetration of cooperative societies in many sectors in these two States, he said: “I want our State to become number one in cooperative sector. We also have the opportunities to expand cooperatives in every sector.” Providing an example of newly announced Sahakara Ksheera bank for milk producers, Mr. Bommai said that the bank will be operationalised soon. “Farmers will get funding easily and at a lower rate of interest. This bank can grow as big as Apex Bank.”
As many as 60 persons involved in cooperative sector were presented with Sahakara Ratna awards. Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Health Minister K. Sudhakar, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj and former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda were present.
