DEVELOPMENTAL DEPARTMENTS

THE CO-OPERATIVE DEPARTMENT.

Organisation.

THE CO-OPERATIVE DEPARTMENT IN THE RATNAGIRI DISTRICT is in the administrative charge of the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Ratnagiri, who is a gazetted officer in class II of Maharashtra Co-operative Service. His immediate superior is the Divisional Deputy Registrar, Bombay, who has jurisdiction over Bombay, Thana, Kolaba and Ratnagiri districts. The Assistant Registrar is responsible for supervision of and guidance to various types of co-operative societies in his charge. Many of the powers of the Registrar of Co-operative Societies under the Bombay Co-operative Societies Act (VII of 1925) and the Rules under it are delegated to him. Under him is the District Co-operative Officer, Ratnagiri, who belongs to the subordinate co-operative service. The district co-operative officer is responsible for organisation of societies, development of the movement, supervision over the societies in rural and semi-rural areas, arrangements for crop finance, etc. He is also a nominee of the department on certain types of co-operative institutions. Although his jurisdiction extends over the whole district the co-ordination of departmental activities at the district level is done by the Assistant Registrar, so that, there may be no duplication of work between the Assistant Registrar and the district co-operative officer. Up to 30th June 1956, the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies was also entrusted with the work relating to the cottage and small scale industries and industrial co-operatives in the district. In carrying out these duties he was assisted by a District Officer of Industrial Co-operatives and Village Industries and also by Industrial Supervisors. Government have however, under Government Resolution, Industries and Co-operative Department, Bombay No. JTM/1957/ 24225-8, dated 30th March 1957, declared the former Industrial Co-operatives and Village Industries Section as a separate department with a view to facilitating an easy and convenient growth of the small-scale and cottage industries. The work of the co-operative societies of industrial type is under the control of the Assistant Director of Cottage Industries and Industrial Co-operatives, Thana and a District Officer for Cottage Industries and Industrial Cooperatives, Ratnagiri who is assisted by supervisors. There is one Assistant Director for Thana, Kolaba and Ratnagiri districts with Thana as his headquarters.

Supervision Staff.

The Supervision Staff.-The supervision staff serves as the last link in the administrative machinery. Their main responsibility is confined to detailed supervision over the working of agricultural credit and multi-purpose societies. They are expected to supervise every society in their charge at least once in three months. They are in addition required to assist the societies in the preparation of normal credit statements and assets registers. At present there are seven supervisors in the district. In national extension service areas the work is entrusted to the assistant district co-operative officers. Supervisors are also appointed in the national extension service areas, by the Deputy Registrar, from among those persons who have undergone training at the Regional Co-operative Training School, and passed the prescribed test. They are under the control of the District Supervision Committee which functions under the direct control of the Provincial Board of Supervision. This committee consists of the Assistant Registrar, the Chairman of Central Financing Agency (formerly representative of Bombay State Co-operative Bank, now of the Ratnagiri District Central Bank), the Chairman of the District Co-operative Board, one or two representatives of the supervising unions in the district and one representative of the agricultural non-credit societies in the district.

The District Co-operative Officer is the secretary of the committee. The committee recommends disciplinary action, where necessary, against supervisors; scrutinises and checks their programmes and diaries; and reviews the working of supervising unions.

Supervising Unions.

Supervising Unions.-A supervising union is formed for every taluka generally, where there is a sufficient number of co-operative societies. Elsewhere there is one supervising union for two talukas. There are eight supervising unions in the district. All agricultural credit societies are eligible for membership. The main functions of the supervising unions are:-(1) to advise, guide, assist, rectify and control its constituent societies by efficient and regular supervision and (2) to provide a means of assessing the credit of each of the constituent societies and to make recommendations in this behalf to the financing agency. The supervisor for the area acts as a secretary of the union.

District Co-operative Board.

The District Co-operative Board.-Education and training in co operation, and propaganda for the spread of the co-operative movement are carried by the district co-operative board under the guidance of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union (formerly Bombay Provincial Co-operative Institute). The membership of the Board is of two classes viz. (1) Ordinary, consisting of all co-operative societies in the district and (2) associate, consisting of individuals, A nominee of the financing agency (formerly the Bombay State Cooperative Bank; now Ratnagiri District Central Co-operative Bank), the assistant registrar, Ratnagiri and the executive officer of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union are ex-officio members of the general body of the board. There is a board of management composed of (1) two nominees of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Union; (2) one or two nominees of the financing agency; (3) four representatives of the supervising unions; (4) one or two representatives of the individual members according as their number is 20 or more; (5) one or two members of individual societies; and (6) the administrative officer of the Central Financing Agency. The board of management has also the right to co-opt a co-operator of outstanding merit and experience from the district. The district co-operative board is affiliated as a subscribing member of the Divisional Co-operative Board for Maharashtra and also to the State Co-operative Union.

Audit.

Audit.-Section 22 of the Bombay Co-operative Societies Act provides for statutory audit of every society once a year either by the Registrar or by some person authorised by him. The audit staff in the district works under the control of the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Ratnagiri. Besides the special auditor, there are three categories of auditors, viz. (1) auditors, (2) sub-auditors and (3) certified (professional) auditors. The special auditor is an officer belonging to the Co-operative Service, Class II. This Officer is stationed at Thana but has jurisdiction over Thana, Kolaba and Ratnagiri districts. He audits the accounts of (1) central co-operative banks and banking unions;(2) purchase and sale societies and unions; (3) the district industrial association and its branches; (4) 'C' and 'D' class urban banks with working capital exceeding Rs. 50,000; (5) housing societies indebted to Government; and (6) societies in liquidation belonging to the classes of societies in his charge. He also carries out a test audit of three per cent, of the societies audited by certified auditors.

There are two auditors in the district and one additional auditor who is entrusted with the audit work independently under the special auditor. Their head-quarters are at Malvan and Ratnagiri. The headquarters of the additional auditor is also at Ratnagiri. They audit the following classes of societies-multi-purpose societies and their shops; taluka development boards; weavers' societies; district cooperative board; industrial societies; supervising unions; agricultural-non-credit societies, like crop protection, fencing and joint farming societies; and other societies.

There are five sub-auditors and one additional sub-auditor. They audit all agricultural credit societies and small multi-purpose societies; societies running fair price shops and distribution centres with a turnover not exceeding Rs. 50,000. Every distribution centre or a fair price shop run by societies is treated as a separate unit.

In pursuance of the policy of progressive decentralisation of the movement, in recent years steps have been taken to appoint certified auditors to carry out the statutory audit of the following types of societies and institutions: -

(1) consumers' societies with a turnover of Rs. 50,000 and over;

(2) urban banks and societies classed as 'A' or 'B' with working capital of Rs. 50,000 and over;

(3) housing societies having no outstandings against them on account of Government loan;

(4) Any other societies certified by the Registrar.

Other staff.

Other staff.-An assistant district co-operative officer, a special recovery officer, an honorary organiser and arbitrators are the other officers in the district.

The assistant district co-operative officer is attached to the office of the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Ratnagiri. He assists the District Co-operative Officer in his duties and inspects minor societies.

Under the Bombay Co-operative Societies Act monies recoverable as a result of arbitration awards or liquidation proceedings and certain dues of co-operative institutions are recoverable through the Collectors according to the law in force for the recovery of arrears of land revenue. When the normal staff of the Revenue Department is not in a position to cope with the work, special recovery officers are deputed from the Revenue Department to the Co-operative Department to expedite the work. A post of a special recovery officer was created in this district in 1957 with headquarters at Ratnagiri.

The honorary organisers are non-officials who give assistance in the matter of organisation of different types of societies. An honorary organiser's jurisdiction extends to one or two talukas or even to the whole district in some cases. There are three district organisers and 13 taluka organisers in the district.

Under the Bombay Co-operative Societies Act, co-operative societies or members thereof may refer their disputes to the Assistant Registrar for decision either by himself or by appointment of an arbitrator. Every year a list of persons is published and Assistant Registrar sends cases of disputes to such arbitrators. There were 18 arbitrators in the district in 1958.

One Statistical Assistant is appointed in the district and he works directly under the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Ratnagiri.

Educational Institutions.

Educational Institutions.-The Maharashtra State Co-operative Union is recognised as the sole agency for imparting co-operative training to officials and non-officials throughout the State. It has established regional schools at Poona and Jalgaon with a view to impart training to the lower staff of Co-operative Department and co-operative institutions, in particular, to supervisors, bank inspectors and secretaries of multi-purpose societies and taluka purchase and sale unions. The Union is also conducting a co-operative training college at Poona where higher officers of the Co-operative Department and secretaries of the urban and central banks are trained.

Marketing.

Marketing.-The Registrar of Co-operative Societies is also Director of Agricultural Marketing, and in this capacity he shares with the Collector of the district the responsibilities for the effective enforcement of the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act (XXII of 1939). The Director performs the functions of survey; organisation and constitution of regulated markets; assessment of adequate scale of licence fees; rates of commission, and charges of other market functionaries; approval of bye-laws and annual budgets of market committees; and technical guidance as regards the manner in which the accounts of the market committees shall be maintained. The administrative control of the market committees and the enforcement of statutory provisions and the rules governing the regulation of markets are, however, vested in the Collector, who exercises these powers in consultation with the Director.

The Director is assisted by separate marketing staff, consisting of the Chief Marketing Officer and one Assistant Marketing Officer with their head-quarters at Poona and Assistant Marketing Officers for regional divisions. The Chief Marketing Officer is an officer of Class I State Service and the Assistant Marketing Officers are in Class II. The latter are provided with a staff of Marketing Inspectors whose jurisdiction extends to over one or more districts. There is only one Marketing Inspector for this district with his headquarters at Ratnagiri. He works under the control of the Assistant Marketing Officer, Poona and the Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, Ratnagiri.

There are no regulated markets in this district.

Money-Lending.

Money-Lending.- The Bombay Money-Lenders Act (XXXI of 1946) was brought into operation from 17th November, 1947. The salient features embodied in the Act are: (1) licensing of money-lenders; (2) maintenance of accounts by money-lenders in prescribed form; and (3) restrictions on the rate of interest. The Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Maharashtra State is also appointed as Registrar-General of Money-lenders. Up to October 1957, the administration of the Act was under the control of the Revenue department and Personal Assistant to the Collector held the charge of the Registrar for Money-lenders and Mamlatdars held the charge of the Assistant Registrar for money-lenders. As per Government Notification No. M.L.A. 1256/11943-C/dated 23rd July 1957 the administration was transferred to the Co-operative department. This district is placed under the charge of the Registrar of Money-lenders, Kolhapur at the divisional level. At the district level is the Assistant Registrar of money-lenders, Ratnagiri and under him is a money-lending inspector. The inspector makes inquiries on the application for money-lending licences and inspects accounts of licence-holders and submits his reports to the Registrar through the Assistant Registrar of Money-Lenders in addition to his regular duties. Every Assistant Registrar maintains a register of money-lenders for the area in his jurisdiction. Money-lenders are licensed to carry on the business of money-lending only in accordance with the terms and conditions issued to them. The authority to grant a licence is the Registrar, although the application for licence has to be made to the Assistant Registrar of the area concerned. The Registrar has also powers to cancel a licence. Appeals against the order of the Registrar may be made to the Registrar-General whose decision is final.

Sarvodaya Centres.

Sarvodaya Centres.-In 1949, the State Government adopted a scheme known as the 'Sarvodaya' Scheme, with a view to bring about all-round, intensive development-social, educational and economic - of a selected, compact block of 30 to 45 villages in each district through the constructive programme which was foremost in the objectives of Mahatma Gandhi. The executive authority in the formulation and implementation of such a scheme in each district rests with a non-official worker known as the Sanchalak of the Sarvodaya Centre, who is assisted and advised by a non-official committee of members known as the Sarvodaya Area Committee. Every year a plan of development of the area is formulated by the Sanchalak, which is considered by the State Sarvodaya Committee before its final sanction by Government. In the district, there are two Sarvodaya Centres one at Gopuri, in Kankavli peta and another at Lanje in Lanje peta. The centre at Gopuri covers 35 villages in Malvan taluka and Kankavli peta. Three sub-centres are opened at Harkul, Ranged and Karul. A group of workers is attached to each of the sub-centre which conducts various activities of village uplift and social and cultural development in the district. In 1958-59, Government sanctioned about Rs. 35,000 to the Sarvodaya Centre, Gopuri.

The centre at Lanje covers 13 villages round about Lanje. Activities similar to other Sarvodaya Centres are carried on by this centre. In 1958-59, Government sanctioned about Rs. 20,000 to this centre.

Organisation.

The following statement shows the organisation of the Co-operative Department in Ratnagiri district.

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