The Gazetteers Department

Introduction.— The Co-operation Department plays an important role in an agro-industrial economy and particularly so in the sphere of rural credit. The activities of the Co-operation Department are associated with rural finance, agricultural marketing, industrial co-operatives, regulated markets and money-lending business, and are governed under various enactments. The Cooperation Department is entrusted with the administration of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960; the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1963; the Bombay Money-lenders Act, 1946 and the Bombay Warehousing Act, 1959 and the Rules made thereunder.

Organisation.— Since the formation of the Zilla Parishad the co-operative movement has come under the dual control of the State Government and the Zilla Parishad. The Co-operation Department of the Zilla Parishad is responsible for 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 Commissioner for Co-operation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies is the head of the Co-operation 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 the Divisional Deputy Registrar, three Divisional Assistant Registrars, one Textile Officer and one Assistant Statistician. The Divisional Special Auditor is incharge of the Audit Section of the Division.

The activities in the State sector in the district are placed under the administrative control of the District Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Bhandara, 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-lenders Act, he has to work as the Registrar of Moneylenders. He is assisted by three Assistant Registrars who are class II Gazetted Officers of whom one Assistant Registrar is for Land Development Bank, while the jurisdiction of the other two Assistant Registrars extends over an area specified by the District Deputy Registrar after taking into account the actual work load. The Assistant Registrar is incharge of Sakoli tahsil and Paoni and Bhandara Development Blocks of Bhandara tahsil and the other Assistant Registrar is incharge of Gondia tahsil and Tumsar and Mohadi Blocks of Bhandara tahsil.

Co-operative Officers.—There is one Co-operative Officer, Class III and six Assistant Co-operative Officers to assist the regular Assistant Registrars in their work. The District Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, and the Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies are empowered to exercise all powers under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960. They also work as Assistant Registrars of money-lenders for their respective jurisdiction. Since the formation of the Zilla Parishad the services of one Assistant Registrar have been transferred to it. He works as the Co-operation and Industries Officer of the Zilla Parishad. He is directly responsible to the Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad. He is delegated with certain powers of Registrar of Co-operative Societies in so far as registration of new societies and amendments to the bye-laws of certain types of societies coming under the purview of the Zilla Parishad are concerned. He has also to work on the Co-operation Sub-committee of the Zilla Parishad. He is assisted in his work by the Block Development Officers and Extension Officers.

Supervisory Staff.— The main responsibility of the supervising staff is confined to supervision over the working of all agricultural credit and multipurpose societies in the district. They are expected to supervise every society in their charge. There are at present 27 supervisors working in the district whose appointments are made by the District Deputy Registrar with the approval of the Divisional Joint Registrar, Nagpur. They are placed under the administrative control of the Assistant Registrars. In pursuance of the policy of democratic decentralisation, supervising unions have been organised at 13 development blocks. One of the supervisors in each block works as the ex-officio Secretary of each supervising union. Services of these supervisors are also placed at the disposal of these unions for inspection and supervision of affiliated primary societies.

District Co-operative Board.—Education and training in cooperation and propaganda for the spread of co-operative movement are carried out by the District Co-operative Board under the guidance of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union Ltd., Bombay. The membership of the Board is of two classes, viz., ordinary consisting of all co-operative societies in the district and associate, consisting of individuals. A nominee of the Financing Agency, the Bhandara District Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bhandara, the District Deputy Registrar, and Executive Officer of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union are ex-officio members of the Board. It has a membership of 906. There are 4 instructors in this district who are appointed by the Maharashtra State Co-operative Board, Bombay, for training and propaganda. Out of these four instructors, one instructor works as the Secretary of the Board. The Board conducts courses for secretaries as also for the members of the managing committee of the Board.

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 persons 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, Bhandara, who is a Class II officer, 10 Auditors and a Sub-auditor. The audit staff in the district is under the administrative control of the Divisional Special Auditor who is a Class I officer at divisional level.

The Special Auditor at the district level makes arrangements 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 the audit staff, according to the volume of business and the size of 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 certified auditors from the approved panel.

Maharashtra State Co-operative Societies Act, 1960.— The Maharashtra State Co-operative Societies Act of 1960 provides that all disputes touching constitution, election of officers, conduct of business and management of societies shall be referred to the Registrar of Co-operative Societies. Accordingly the District Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar 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 nominee's 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 of 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 other requisite staff. The department controls training-cum-production centres at Pimpalgaon, for carpentry and smithy. So far three sessions have been completed and the centre has trained 28 candidates.

Since the formation of the Zilla Parishad, 129 societies have been organised and registered in the district including two consumers' co-operative societies, 11 dairy societies, 7 industries societies, 19 labour contract societies, 11 farming societies, 4 housing societies, 44 industrial societies, 17 fisheries societies and 12 forest labourers co-operative societies.

Money-lending.— The salient features of the Bombay Money lenders Act are licensing of money-lenders, maintenance of accounts by money-lenders in prescribed proformas and restriction on rates of interest.

The Joint Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Nagpur, works as the Divisional Joint Registrar of Money-lenders. The Assistant Registrar works as Assistant Registrar of Moneylenders in his respective jurisdiction while the District Deputy Registrar, Co-operative Societies works as Registrar of Moneylenders in the district. He issues licences to money-lenders and is responsible for the administration of the Bombay Moneylenders Act. The Co-operative Officer and Assistant Co-operative Officer have to work in their individual capacity both as Cooperative Officers, Assistant Co-operative Officers and Inspectors of Money-lenders.

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