OTHER DEPARTMENTS

CO-OPERATION DEPARTMENT

Introduction.

The Co-operation Department plays an important role in the agro-industrial economy and particularly in the sphere of rural credit. The activities of the Co-operative Department are associated with rural finance, agricultural marketing, industrial co-operatives, regulated markets and moneylending business. The activities of the Co-operative Department are governed under the various enactments. The Co-operative Department is entrusted with the administration of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960; the C. P. and Berar Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1935; the Central Provinces Cotton Market Act, 1932; the Bombay Money-lenders Act, 1946 and the Bombay Warehousing Act, 1959 and the Rules made thereunder.

Organisation.

Since the formation of the Zilla Parishads the co-operative movement has come under the dual control of the State Government and the Zilla Parishad. The Co-operative Department of the Zilla Parishad is responsible for the registration, organisation, supervision, inspection, etc., of all types of co-operatives in rural areas having authorised share capital of Rs. 50,000 or working capital up to Rs. 5 lakhs. The. supervision and control over regulated markets is also entrusted to the district sector. All other schemes are looked after by the department in the State sector.

The Registrar of Co-operative Societies is the head of the department at the State level. The Divisional Joint Registrar is the Divisional Officer who also works as the Registrar of money-lenders for his division. He is assisted by one Divisional Deputy Registrar, three Assistant Registrars and one Assistant Statistician.

The activities under the State sector in the district are placed under the administrative control of the District Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Amravati, who is a class I Gazetted Officer in the Maharashtra Co-operative Service and upon whom have been conferred various statutory powers by the Government. Under the Bombay Warehousing Act, 1959, the District Deputy Registrar has to work as ' Prescribed Authority' and under the Money-lending Act, he has to work as the Registrar of Money-lenders. The distribution of work between the two Assistant Registrars is done by the District Deputy Registrar on territorial basis. The Assistant Registrar has to work as the Public Enquiry Officer for the purpose of processing loan applications of the Land Development Bank along with the District Deputy Registrar, the Block Development Officers, the Assistant Block Development Officers and the Co-operation and Industries Officer of the Zilla Parishad. Under the Moneylenders Act, the Assistant Registrar has to work as the Assistant Registrar of Money-lenders within his jurisdiction.

Co-operative Officers.

In the State sector, at the district level, there are two co-operative officers and two Assistant Co-operative Officers who have to work under the control of the District Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar. These officers are not expected to exercise any statutory powers under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1961, but they have to perform certain statutory functions as and when they are appointed for the purpose. The Cooperative Officers, however, enjoy statutory powers under section B-A of the Bombay Money-lenders Act in respect of inspection of records of money-lenders.

Supervisory Staff.

There are 13 Supervising Unions with 23 Supervisors. Their services are placed at the disposal of Supervising Unions which are federal bodies of large sized multipurpose co-operative societies, small sized agricultural primary credit societies including sewa societies and grain banks.

The Supervisors and Additional Supervisors visit and inspect societies, in their charge, according to the inspection programme prepared quarterly. The Supervisors and Additional Supervisors also attend to the work of submission of Normal Credit Statements and preparation of loan applications with the help of Group Secretaries of the societies, who work under Supervising Unions and under the administrative supervision of Supervisors and additional supervisors. As far as inspection and supervision over the agricultural primaries is concerned, the Central Financing Agency has also its own staff of Inspectors. The work of recoveries of societies' dues from members and bank's dues from societies is also looked after and pursued by the above staff of the Bank, though the primary responsibility for effecting recovery is of the elected Managing Committee of the Primary Societies and the Secretaries.

District Supervision Committee

At the district level, an Ad hoc Committee, viz., District Supervision Committee has been constituted with the District Deputy Registrar, Chairman of the Central Co-operative Bank, Chairman of the District Co-operative Board, two representatives of Taluka Supervising Unions and one representative of Agricultural non-credit societies in the district as members.

The Co-operative Officer is the ex officio Secretary of the District Supervision Committee.

It is an ad hoc body created by the administrative orders of the Government and it works as a link between the Taluka Supervising Unions in the district and the State Board of  Supervision. The Committee also guides the Supervising  Unions. The Supervising Unions are formed in every Block  and they have to advise, guide, assist, rectify and control their  constituents by effective and regular supervision over them and  to employ secretaries for affiliated societies, to assess credit of  such societies and to make recommendation on Normal Credit Statements of societies by endorsing them to the Central Financing Agency.

District Co-operative Board

The work of education and training in co-operation and propaganda for the diffusion of Co-operative movement is done by the District Co-operative Board Ltd., Amravati, which works under the guidance of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union Ltd.. Bombay. The Board also conducts training classes for secretaries, members of the Managing Committee and other members of co-operative societies. The Sahakari Vidyalaya, Amravati, which is a Co-operative Training School for the four districts of Vidarbha, imparts training in co-operation to the junior officers and gives " Lower Diploma in Co-operation" to successful candidates.

Auditing.

The audit of co-operative societies is a statutory duty of the Registrar under Section 81 of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, and accordingly he, by himself or through the person authorised on his behalf, audits every society at least once a year. As stated above, the audit staff has now been separated from the regular administrative wing. The audit staff of the district consists of one Special Auditor, Co-operative Societies, Amravati, who is a class II Officer, 10 auditors and 13 sub-auditors. The audit staff in the district is under the administrative control of Divisional Special Auditor who is a class I Officer at divisional level.

The Special Auditor at the district level makes arrangement for audit of all societies in the district, for which purpose a list of societies at the end of the Co-operative Year (i.e., on 30th June) is prepared and societies are allotted to different members of audit staff, according to the volume of business and size of the societies. The Act also provides for appointment of certified auditors with necessary qualifications. The societies which can get their accounts audited by certified auditors are notified in the Gazette and accordingly, these societies make arrangements to get their accounts audited through the certified auditors from the approved panel.

Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act,1960.

The Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act of 1960 provides that all disputes touching the constitution, election of officers, conduct of business and management of societies shall be referred to the Registrar. Accordingly, the District Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrars act as arbitrators for deciding the disputes in the district referred to them. Under the Act, the Divisional Joint Registrar is empowered to appoint persons to work as Registrar's nominees to whom the disputes can be referred for decision, in case the District Deputy Registrar or Assistant Registrar is not in a position to decide the dispute. All these officers are selected from legal practitioners of good standing. The powers regarding the award of decision in the disputes are exercised by the Assistant Registrars in the department, concurrently with the District Deputy Registrar and Divisional Joint Registrar for all societies or which the headquarters are in their jurisdiction.

Co-operation and Industries Officer.

The Co-operation and Industries Officer of the Zilla Parishad who works as the Secretary of the Co-operation and Industries Committee of the Zilla Parishad heads the department at the district level. He is assisted by one Co-operative Officer, one Assistant Co-operative Officer, 13 Extension Officers and the requisite staff. The department controls two training-cum-pro-duction centres, viz., the Daryapur Chrome Tannery and Leather Workers' Training-cum-Production Centre and the Amravati Chrome Tannery and Leather Workers' Training-cum-Production Centre. The five training centres inclusive of two tailoring centres one each at Morshi and Chikhaldara, one cotton weaving school at Ner-Pingalai, one dyeing and printing centre at Pusala and one doll centre at Amravati.

Since the formation of the Zilla Parishad, 39 societies have been organised and registered in the district including 16 Sewa Sahakari Societies, 8 Dairy Societies, 5 Industrial Societies, 3 Purchase and Sale Societies, 3 Labour Contract Societies, 1 Farming Society, 1 Housing Society and 2 Crop Protection Societies.

The following tables show the progress made by the co-operative societies in the district from 1955-56 to 1961-62: -

TABLE No. 1

PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURAL PRIMARIES IN THE AMRAVATI DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL CREDIT, MULTIPURPOSE SOCIETIES AND SEWA SOCIETIES.

* Source : District Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Amravati.

TABLE No. 2

PROGRESS OF CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN AMRAVATI DISTRICT

(All Types of Societies)

*Source : District Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Amravati.

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