The Gazetteers Department

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 cooperatives, regulated markets and money-lending business and are governed under various enactments. The Co-operative department is entrusted with the administration of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960; the Central Provinces 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 came under the dual control of the State Government and the Zilla Parishad. The Co-operative 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 department at the State level. The Divisional Joint Registrar, Co-operative Societies is the Divisional Officer who also works as the Registrar of Moneylenders 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, Yeotmal who is a Class I 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 Bombay Money-lending Act, he has to work as the Registrar of Money-lenders.

The District Deputy Registrar is assisted by two Assistant Registrars. The distribution of work between them is done by the District Deputy Registrar on territorial basis. The Assistant Registrar has to work as 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 Money-lenders Act, the Assistant Registrar has to work as the Assistant Registrar of Money-lenders within his jurisdiction.

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

Supervising Unions.

There are 14 supervising unions at the block level with 23 super- visors. Their services are placed at the disposal of supervising unions which are federal bodies of large size multi-purpose cooperative societies, small size 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. They also attend to the work of submission of normal credit statements and preparation of loan applications with the help of the group secretaries of the societies who work under the supervising unions and under the administrative super- vision of the supervisors and additional supervisors. In so 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 recovery 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., the District Supervision Committee has been constituted under the administrative orders of the government and it works as a link between 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 advise, guide, assist, rectify and control their constituents by effective and regular supervision over them and employ secretaries for affiliated societies, assess credit of such societies and make recommendations 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., Yeotmal, 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 the co-operative societies.

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 the Registrar himself or the person authorised on his behalf, audits every society at least once a year. The audit staff of the district, which is now separated from the administrative wing, consists of one Special Auditor who is a class II officer, 10 auditors and 13 sub-auditors. The audit staff in the district is under the administrative control of the Divisional Special Auditor who is a class I officer at the 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 the 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 Government 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 concerning the constitution, election of officers, conduct of business and management of societies shall he referred to the Registrar. Accordingly, the District Deputy Registrar and the 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 the persons to work as Registrar's nominees to whom disputes can be referred to for decision, in case the District Deputy Registrar or the 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 the decisions in the disputes are exercised by the Assistant Registrars concurrently with the District Deputy Registrar and the Divisional Joint Registrar, for all societies falling in their jurisdiction.

Co-operation and Industries Officer.

The Co-operation and Industries Officer of the Zilla Parishad works as the Secretary of the Co-operation Committee at the district level. He is directly responsible to the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad. He is assisted by one Co-operative Officer, one Assistant Co-operative Officer, 13 Extension Officers and the other requisite staff.

Progress of Societies.

During the co-operative year 1967-68, there were 1,158 co operative societies in the district with a total membership of 181,803. These societies had a share capital of Rs. 373.92 lakhs, working capital of Rs. 1,719.20 lakhs and reserve and other funds amounting to Rs. 76.46 lakhs. During the same year these societies advanced Rs. 861.64 lakhs to its members. Of these 1,158 societies 602 were agricultural (credit, multi-purposes and sewa) societies with a total membership of 109,592. These societies had share capital of Rs. 126.03 lakhs, working capital of Rs. 607.93 lakhs and their reserved and other funds amounted to Rs. 16.94 lakhs. During the same year these societies advanced Rs. 238.80 lakhs to its members by way of loans.

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