Sahakara Bharati to open cooperative institution in each district

BhubaneswarL visakeo)Sahakara Bharati, a national-level non-governmental organisation working in the cooperative sector, has planned to set up cooperative institutions across the State and in each district. This decision was come in the wake of two-day State convention that ended here. Its plans included strengthening the organisations and holding public awareness rallies about the cooperative sector at different places in the State. "There was an urgent need to strengthen the cooperative movement in India. Cooperative institutions could play a pivotal role in safeguarding the economic interests of the nation at a time when the economy was subjected to various pressures, Sahakara Bharati national vice-president and former State Planning Board Deputy chairman Dr Pramod Sahoo said adding the politicisation of the movement was one of the prime reasons for its failure. Sahakara Bharati had positioned itself as a major force in the sector and was working towards addressing the lacunas affecting its growth. The organisation had established its units in all the States in the country, he said. At least 250 Urban Cooperative Banks have been running from across the country under the aegis of the Sahakara Bharati. Dr Sahoo said that the resolution that was passed in the New Delhi convention will be implemented in the State while on April 22, a Zonal convention will be held here in Bhubaneswar. Workers of the Sahakara Bharati joined the State convention said government control at every stage had stifled its growth and a paucity of honest members, who would respond to the needs of the sector, had also hurt the interest of the movement, they said adding that the failure of the sector to adapt it to latest technological changes had proved to be another setback. The failure of the State Governments in implementing liberalised laws that would assist the sector had proved detrimental to the interests of the cooperative movement, he pointed out. State organizing secretary Rabi Narayan Mohanty, Bijay Kumar Padhi, Bipracharan Tripathy and S Laxminarayan all from Rourkela, Prasanna Patnaik, Debaraj Sahoo of Dhenkanal, Gyan Ranjan Jena(Baripada), Bindo Samal(Berhampur and Rajendra Mohapatra of Bhubaneswar were among those present on this occasion.