Cooperative sector can lead many innovative initiatives: Balagopal

Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has called for increased interventions to strengthen the cooperative movement in Kerala.

He was inaugurating the 71st All India Cooperative Week celebrations at the district level, jointly organised by the Department of Cooperation and the district-level circle cooperative unions, at Jayan Memorial Hall of the district panchayat on Saturday.

Highlighting the government’s ongoing efforts to sustain the cooperative sector, he said such platforms will effectively communicate the cooperative movement’s significant contribution to Kerala’s economy and its achievements to the public. He urged cooperators to unitedly resist the deliberate attempts to malign the entire cooperative sector by magnifying isolated incidents. “Strong action will be taken against those who engage in unfair activities,” he added.

Mr. Balagopal said the government is implementing various schemes to revive cooperative societies facing stagnation. “The cooperative sector can lead many innovative initiatives. The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society and cooperative hospitals are models for the global cooperative sector,” he said.

The Minister handed over awards to those who excelled in the JDC and HDC examinations conducted at the Kottakara Cooperative Training Centre and prizes to the district and taluk-level competition winners.

M. Mukesh, MLA, presided over the inaugural function. The cooperative flag was hoisted by M. Abdul Haleem, Joint Registrar (General) of Cooperatives, Kollam. Following this, a seminar was conducted on the topics ‘Kerala Cooperative Act Amendment 2023’ and ‘Opportunities and Challenges of IT/AI in the Cooperative Sector’. Former PSC Chairman M. Gangadharan Kurup was as the moderator. Retired Assistant Registrar Shaji Janardhanan and Information and Communication Technology Academy of Kerala (ICTAK) faculty member Riji N. Das presented papers on the topics.

District panchayat president P.K. Gopan, State Cooperative Union managing committee member K. Rajagopal, former MP and N.S. Cooperative Hospital Chairman P. Rajendran, Kerala Bank Director G. Lalu and Capex Chairman G. Shivashankara Pillai were present.

Published - November 16, 2024 07:01 pm IST