JOIN US'State govt has violated rules on election to co-operative societies'
Addressing a press conference, he said that the election should be conducted in three phases and the process has to be completed before March 31. However, as per a government circular, the election to primary and medium co-operative societies will be held on April 1, instead of March 22. While election to Federal Co-operative Societies is scheduled for April 20, election to Apex Co-operative Societies will be held on April 29, he said.
“All co-operative societies, which achieved 75 per cent of the loan recovery target by March 2009, would have been qualified to vote, if elections were conducted before March, 2010. However, the government has postponed the date without any specific reason,” he alleged. “I applied for a list of all co-operative societies, which are functional and non-functional in the district, from the Deputy Registrar. But the list was not provided to me so far,” he said adding that a complaint in this regard was sent to the State Secretary to Co-operative Department.
He alleged that the government has indirectly instructed officials not to issue the list of societies immediately. “Government is interfering in the administration of co-operative societies,” he alleged and pointed out that as per the rule 121 of the Co-operative Act, government can not interfere in the management of co-operative societies.
Talking about the loan recovery in DCC Bank, Bojegowda said that most of the coffee growers and other farmers do not repay loan properly. Hence, the loan recovery percentage has dipped to 29.73 till December, 2009, he said and reasoned that the untimely rain caused economic crisis among farmers.
He charged that the state government did not distribute compensation to farmers, who suffered loss due to untimely rains. Government should take initiative to distribute compensation as recommended by the district administration immediately, he added.
The DCC Bank, which earned a profit of Rs 3.28 crore in 2008-09, has earned Rs 1.42 crore till December 31, he said. Though the government has to release Rs 1.50 crore to the bank towards loan waiver and other aid to SHGs, the amount has not been released so far, he said.