"The Punjab Government on taking over the reins of power made a commitment to initiate every possible measure aimed at the upliftment of the Non-Agricultural Landless Members of the Punjab Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS)."This was reiterated here today by the Cooperation Minister, Punjab, S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa while presiding over a meeting of the Secretaries and representatives of the Punjab Agricultural Cooperative Societies to mull over extending benefits of the debt waiver scheme to the Non-Agricultural Landless Members of PACS. Earlier, the benefits were extended to the small as well as the marginal farmers.The minister further said that in order to ensure that the above mentioned objective is achieved, the people from poor economic backgrounds especially the Non-Agricultural Landless ones are brought into the mainstream of the cooperation movement and also made a part of the banking system. He directed the departmental officers to formulate effective plans for ensuring the same.
The minister further gave directions for soon convening a meeting of the Secretaries of the PACS to evaluate their performance and said that those doing good would be rewarded while those found wrongdoings would face action. The minister further made a case for bringing the cooperative banks at par with the private banks.Taking the previous regime to task, S. Randhawa said that the 10 year tenure of the previous government resulted in the cooperative sector lagging behind but also made it clear that the present government has made it an article of faith to turnaround the cooperative institutions.Among others present on the occasion included the MP from Jalandhar Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, Punjab, Mr. Bharat Bhushan Ashu, MLA (Shahkot) Mr. Hardev Singh Ladi, MLA (Chabbewal) Mr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, MLA (Samrala) Mr. Amrik Singh Dhillon, MLA (Khanna) Mr. Gurkirat Singh Kotli, MLA (Gill) Mr. Kuldeep Singh Vaid and the MD Punjab State Cooperative Banks Dr. S. K. Batish.