Minister for Cooperation V.N. Vasavan has accused the Union government of taking steps aimed at weakening the cooperative sector in Kerala ever since the formation of a Union Ministry for Cooperation.
Replying to questions in the Assembly on Monday, he said that the Union government is attempting to control co-operative organisations in the State through deceptive means. The primary agricultural co-operative societies have been asked to upload confidential individual data to the central server as part of preparation of centralised software.
He said that the Union government has also prepared a unified bylaw for all co-operative organisations in the country. However, bylaws can be prepared only as per the laws governing the co-operative sector. Such moves go against co-operative principles. The Union government has decided to form three co-operative societies as part of steps to form multi-State co-operative societies. The co-operatives in the States have been asked to take membership in these new societies. This will pave the way for indirect control of the State’s co-operative societies.
Mr.Vasavan said that the State government has decided to take on legally as well as politically all such attempts to weaken the State’s co-operatives. The Constitution as well as the Supreme Court has maintained that cooperation is a State subject, violating which the Union government is forming multi-State societies and taking steps for indirect control of State-level societies.
