Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill referred to joint Parliament panel

The contentious Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was on Tuesday sent to a Joint Committee of Parliament for further scrutiny, with the government acceding to the demands of the Opposition.

Home Minister Amit Shah moved the motion in Lok Sabha to refer the Bill to the Joint Committee, consisting of 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs.

Congress has earlier said that Shah had assured Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that the Bill will be sent for Parliamentary scrutiny after the latter pressed for further scrutiny of the proposed legislation.

Also Read | Parliament's Winter Session likely to end on December 23

The Committee has been given time till the last day of the first week of the second leg of Budget Session to submit its report. Usually, the second leg of Budget Session starts in the second week of March.

While Rajya Sabha has been asked to nominate 10 MPs, the Lok Sabha members in the joint committee include Chandra Prakash Joshi, Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam, Nishikant Dubey and Jagadambika Pal (BJP), Manish Tewari, Chandra Sekhar Sahu and Kodikkunnil Suresh (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK), Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) and Girish Chandra (BSP).

Also Read | DAP fertiliser supply remains comfortable in India: Centre

Opposition parties had earlier made it clear that they would oppose the Bill. Congress had said it would oppose the Bill in its "present form".

When the Bill was introduced earlier, Congress and other Opposition parties objected to the Bill alleging that it was an encroachment on the rights of states and demanded that it be referred to the Standing Committee.

Seeking to bring transparency and accountability in the cooperative sector, the Bill proposes to create a "Cooperative Election Authority" to bring electoral reforms in the sector and authorise the Centre to appoint one or more cooperative ombudsmen. It also proposes a Cooperative Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development Fund for the revival of sick multi-state co-operative societies.

An amendment is also proposed in the existing law to increase the monetary penalties on multi-state cooperative societies for contravention of norms.

Objecting to the Bill, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had earlier said that the cooperative sector is a state subject and there is "clear indication" that the Centre has been encroaching upon the territory of state governments.

Senior Congress MP Manish Tewari demanded the withdrawal of the Bill, claiming that some of its provisions "strike at the heart of the autonomy of cooperative societies".

Certain provisions in the Bill put an "additional burden on the cooperatives and infringe on the cardinal principle of autonomous functioning as provided in Article 43B of the Constitution", he added.