'Naya J-K' witnesses Renaissance in Cooperative Movement

Jammu and Kashmir [India], June 7 : In order to address the developmental needs of the underprivileged sections of society and make Jammu and Kashmir Atma-Nirbhar, the Union Territory has witnessed a renaissance in the cooperative movement during the past two years.
In 2017, out of 3,000 cooperative societies, only 988 were functioning in Jammu and Kashmir while the rest had turned defunct. The eighteen Central Cooperative Banks in the erstwhile State had no Reserve Bank of India (RBI) licences as a sum of Rs 313 crore was needed to restore these. No elections were held for primary cooperative societies in Kashmir due to unrest. In a nutshell, the cooperative societies in Jammu and Kashmir were in the doldrums.
The process to revamp cooperative societies in Jammu and Kashmir commenced soon after August 5, 2019--when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories--Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah emphasized the need to ensure that cooperative societies in Jammu and Kashmir get a breather in the changed setup.
The process to revive the cooperative societies in the Himalayan region has been an uphill task but the consistent efforts of the government have infused new life into this sector.
On May 30, 2022, a significant step was taken towards revamping the financial health of Cooperative banks, the Jammu and Kashmir Government infused Rs 366 crore for re-capitalization of three district Central Cooperative Banks in the Union Territory.
The amount under the 'Recapitalization Package' was released and transferred to Jammu Central Cooperative Bank, Anantnag Cooperative Bank and Baramulla Central Cooperative. These banks were de-licensed by the Reserve Bank of India as per the Banking Regulations Act as their liquidity position was bad enough due to their asset erosion.
For other defunct cooperative banks, the Jammu and Kashmir government has sought a rejuvenation package of Rs 238 crore from the Centre and the requisition in this regard has already been forwarded.
During the past year, the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperatives Department has released Rs 280 lakh for the modernization of Super Bazars in the Union Territory. These have also been brought on the GeM Portal and are running their business in a professional manner.
The proposal to come up with a Super Bazar in every district of Jammu and Kashmir has almost been finalized.
In 2021-22, the Cooperative Department registered 64 Farmers Producer Organisation under its Acts to revive the defunct cooperative societies in Jammu and Kashmir. It's for the first time in the past 70-years that the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Department has achieved 100 per cent end to end digitization.
A departmental portal has been created for the interested parties to get the registration done in online mode within two to three months.
The department has created 91 vacancies for Assistant Registrars. The department has tied up with the National Development Cooperative Commission (NCDC), New Delhi. The NCDC has sanctioned 35 poultry projects so far of various cooperative societies with an estimated cost of Rs 860.92 lakhs.
Audits of 859 cooperative societies were conducted in 2020-21 and 849 cooperative societies in 2021-22 while elections of around 70 per cent of societies were held recently.
A comprehensive plan to bring the cooperative societies back on track in Jammu and Kashmir is being implemented and the Union Ministry of Cooperatives is monitoring all the operations directly.
During the past two years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a renaissance in the cooperative movement to address the developmental needs of underprivileged sections of the society.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has put in all the efforts to facilitate the development of new women and youth cooperatives and provide them with a solid support system to flourish.
The cooperative movement is being turned into a people-based movement to reach citizens at the grassroots with an aim to make all the cooperative institutions profitable ventures.
The cooperative sector is being organized in terms of production and value addition so that its products can compete not only in the country but also in global markets.
The government is providing all the possible support in every panchayat to increase the number of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies. This has substantially increased credit lending in agriculture and allied sectors. The benefits are also flowing to small and marginal farmers.
The steps are being taken to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', Cooperatives in Jammu and Kashmir UT with a focus on agri-marketing, food processing, branding, supply of seeds and other innovative activities in dairy and handicrafts.
The Mission Youth in Jammu and Kashmir is working as a cooperative entrepreneurship organisation and demonstrating how business with a cooperative spirit could lead the way to tackle modern challenges.
New concept envisaged in "Naya Jammu and Kashmir '' is not about confining cooperatives to just business or credit lending, a common man is being involved to make Jammu Kashmir Atam-Nirbhar (self-sufficient). The aim is to protect and promote the social and economic rights of every individual.
Cooperative societies in the past were considered to be the most credible medium of socio-economic development of farmers, rural populations, unorganized sector workers and women.
The present dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir is trying its best to meet the needs of rural and other areas. New cooperative societies are coming up and the old societies that had become defunct prior to August 5, 2019, are being revived.
The government is focusing on at least 20 sectors of the rural system like cottage industries, agriculture and allied activities.
Jammu and Kashmir Cooperatives Department is inspiring the young entrepreneurs to come forward to develop their projects on the line of IFFCO - a farmers-owned fertiliser cooperative sown on Indian soil, contributing immensely to making India self-reliant in food grain production.
Amul, a world-renowned milk producers cooperative, and Krishak Bharti Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) as successful cooperatives which have secured a place in the top 10 cooperative institutions all over the world. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), is the vehicle of the development revolution, not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in other parts of the country.
The Union Ministry for Cooperatives is providing financial assistance of up to Rs 3 crore to the newly formed cooperatives, especially to the innovative organizations through the "Yuva Sahakar - Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme." Apart from this, if the institutions want to expand, then the Central Government and NABARD are also cooperating.
To make women a part of the Cooperative Movement in Jammu and Kashmir awareness camps are being organized across the Union Territory. They are being informed about their role in the sector. Various schemes for women are being implemented for their welfare.
The Women Credit Cooperative Limited has been directed to establish micro finance institutions at the village level and registration of cooperatives is being done on the spot during the awareness campaigns. The instructions have been passed to officers to work at ground level to ensure that maximum women get engaged with the Cooperative Department.
The department is actively engaging in the registration of Cooperative Societies/Cooperatives in different economic areas like agriculture, and dairy. Poultry, housing, floriculture, medical, educational, consumer business, banking, micro-credit, women empowerment, transport, vegetable growers, labour etc.
Under the moral help, the government has been entrusting the distribution of essential commodities and agricultural inputs to the cooperatives institutions, while under the financial help the government is directly contributing to the share capital of these Institutions. It's also providing generous financial support in the form of loans, subsidies etc.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has contributed more than Rs 3300 lakhs as share capital to different cooperative institutions across the Union Territory.
In 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir' stakeholders are being imparted training to enhance their capacities to enable them to diversify their activities and contribute to the nation-building process.