SHILLONG/ TURA, Nov 20: Principal Secretary of Cooperation department, GHP Raju, on Saturday said that funds available with Meghalaya State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers’ Federation Limited (MeCOFED) and Central Bureau for Housing Cooperation should be channeled towards the development of infrastructure to aid the farmers.
Raju contended this at a conclusion programme of 68th All India Cooperative Week celebration at Meghalaya Cooperative Rural Bank Ltd, Shillong.
Raju, during the programme, also released a booklet on Online Registration of Cooperative Societies, aimed at improving the ease of doing business.
He observed that the spirit of cooperation is engraved in the ethos of the society in Meghalaya.
“The role of the government is to facilitate, strengthen and provide assistance to Cooperative societies in terms of providing working capital, equipment, training, field visits outside the state,” he said.
The Principal Secretary also argued that funds available with MeCOFED and Central Bureau for Housing Cooperation, if utilised to aid the farmers, will, in turn, go a long way in securing their earnings during the off seasons.
He also accentuated the importance of making use of the Cooperation Development Fund for conducting awareness, capacity-building and computer literacy programmes for active cooperatives societies numbering 1,500 across the state, and for the creation of a social media cell to disseminate awareness about the department and the schemes that it offers.
During programme, messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, et al, were read out.
Cooperators representing Kasharipara SCS Ltd. and Nongtluh SCS Ltd also shared their experiences, challenges and success stories of their respective groups during the programme.
Programme in WGH
In West Garo Hills, a similar programme was held on the theme ‘Financial Inclusion, Digitalization and Social Media through Cooperatives’, which was attended by cooperative societies, farmers and producers.
District Veterinary Officer, Dr. Hellicko K Marak, who was the chief guest, encouraged the farmers and producers to form cooperative societies and bolster their financial position for large-scale production and uplift of the economy of the region.