Minister for Cooperative, Chering Dorjay today said that Jammu and Kashmir which has witnessed turbulent times during the last two decades was in dire need of a Cooperative Movement for its prosperity.Winding up the discussion on the Demand of Grants for Cooperative Department in the House, Mr Dorjay said that the Government has initiated some innovative measures to revamp the Cooperative Department for transformation of socio- economic condition of stakeholders.“The Cooperative Institutions have been termed as the Institutions of Economic Independence,” Mr Dorjay said.He said that despite the peculiar topography of the State, difficult terrain and hostile climatic conditions, the Cooperative Movement in the State has played a yeomen’s role in the service of their members in particular and people in general.“There are about 3781 Cooperatives registered under the J&K Self Reliant Cooperative Act, 1999,” he said. “National Cooperative Development provides funds to the State Government for number of activities in the Cooperative Sector.”The Minister said that the Government has also carried out amendment in Section 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir Self Reliant Act 1999 whereby poultry, dairy and hatchery societies were also allowed to be registered.The Minister said that the holding of elections to Cooperative Institutions makes them democratic entities.“Due to intervention from High Court and other sub-ordinate courts of Law, the process of holding elections of many important cooperative banks and other institutions remain under suspension,” he said. “The Government is handling the court cases with vigor and the same has stared yielding results.”
The Minister said that under the Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP), projects have been taken up at a cost of Rs 19.36 crore in Phase-I, while as in the II-phase, two projects for erstwhile Doda and Baramulla districts were approved by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). He said that under the scheme Rs 12.33 crore and Rs 16.36 crore would be spent on Poultry Projects in these districts respectively.The Minister informed that under centrally sponsored Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), Government was focusing on development and strengthening of agriculture and its allied sectors. He said that under the scheme, construction of Kissan Ghar at Wahipora Tangmarg and fertilizer Godown of 1000 MT at Thanda Pani, Sunderbani is apace at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore and Rs 1.26 crore respectively.The Minister said that the Super Bazar, Jammu has earned a profit of Rs 18 lakh during the last fiscal while as Super Bazar, Srinagar has recorded a profit of Rs 19.40 lakh during last fiscal.The Minister said that on the instruction of the Chief Minister, a fair price shop was established in New Colony, Sempora for the employees.The Minister said that the deposits of the Cooperative Bank reached Rs 3187.78 crore. He said that 733 Kissan Cards were distributed by the Banks despite their weak financial health during the year 2013-14, 2014-15.The Cooperative Minister said that to revamp the cooperative sector and bring the Cooperative Movement back on track, the Cooperative Department has prepared a comprehensive plan with a well defined road map. He said that an amount of Rs 5.80 crore is proposed for taking up new works under CAPEX Budget during the current fiscal.Later, the House passed the grants of Cooperative Department for the year 2016-17, which were moved by the Minister.