As Nagaland joined the rest of the country in commemorating the 53rd All India Co-operative week, it is a matter of concern that movement is almost in disarray and far from the ideals envisioned, which is to meet the common socio-economic and aspirations of society as a whole. The occasion therefore calls for a critical assessment of the movement itself and to work towards strengthening Co-operatives for economic resurgence and achieving self-reliance as a concomitant to economic prosperity. During last year’s Co-operative Week, Minister for Planning Dr Shurhozelie made a frank admission that in Nagaland some individuals own as many as 20 registered societies. This should not come as a surprise given that most of them remain as personal and family fiefdom merely for mobilizing funds to pay for their self-gratification.
It is well known that co-operatives were necessitated to avoid the exploitation of the poor and those who did not have access to resources. Sadly, the movement in Nagaland does not have much of a democratic base nor does it have anything to do with professional management, which only goes to show that societies exist in name only without them contributing anything meaningful for the state economy. There are a few exceptions though such as the success of the Dairy Cooperatives under the platform of KOMUL, which has empowered the dairy farmers to some extent.
The State government on its part should make a conscious effort to streamline the working of the cooperative sector. It will be worthwhile to mention that Parliamentary Secretary, Co-Operation, R.Khing had also hinted of a massive cancellation of defunct and non-functioning societies by the next financial year. Coming from the Parliamentary Secretary himself it only gives credibility to the point that the cooperative sector in Nagaland requires a remedial review and one that must focus on qualitative improvement and not quantitative growth alone. That this sector has been beset with several constraints and unhealthy state of affairs is once again brought to the fore by an embarrassing development wherein the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of the Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., Dimapur in view of the fact that the said bank had become bankrupt. It will be in public interest to demand from the government a clarification on this particular case as people are completely in the dark and confused.
Given all the ills, that besot the cooperative sector, the State Government must take necessary steps to improve the functioning of this sector if it is serious about long term empowerment of the local economy. Efforts must be made to promote democratic and autonomous functioning of the cooperatives and lessen the interference of the government. Only in such a cooperative friendly environment will they be able to compete with the private sector. To begin with, Ministers and politicians should not be allowed as Chairpersons of Multi-State Co-operative societies since the main objective of the co-operative movement is to provide a safety net for the poorer sections and from being exploited. Many a times, politicians use such societies as a political instrument. The Government also must take care that no particular person or group of persons, captures the society. There is also the need for education and training for the members who form the co-operative. They should be well aware of their rights, privileges as well as duties. Without the knowledge of these facts, the members will merely be names on the roll-register. In this age of globalisation, there is a greater need to deepen and strengthen the roots of Co-operative venture in order to safeguard the interest of common people and churning them into viable economic ventures in alleviating poverty and unemployment in the State.
