The convention was held at Adalaj under the auspices of Gujarat State Cooperative Federation and was participated by about 3000 office bearers of cooperative sector and delegations of top cooperative organizations of other states.
Gujarat cooperative congress is organized every three year in the state. This year the convention saw participation from state cabinet ministers and leaders of cooperative sector.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Modi said, “Gujarat has set high ethics and standards in cooperative sector and thus established a unique identity and repute for the sector in the world.” An emotional bond between the cooperative sector and the government as well between the people and cooperative sector has been established, he said.
Referring to the Madhupura Cooperative Bank episode and the financial turmoil it brought the Chief Minister said, “It was a time when cooperative sector was on the verge of breaking up. But the present government, with political will, initiated to transform the sector. And the move was supported by the cooperative leaders staying away from the partisan politics.”
The cooperative sector must strive to cleanse itself and nurture the sacred values behind its existence. There is no question of Gujarat government interfering in the cooperative activities, he said.
“Ample of new opportunities and possibilities are there with the cooperative sector. The sector should expand its horizon, thinking beyond the profit and bringing about qualitative change in the society”, Mr. Modi said.
He pointed out that many of the Centre’s moves amount to the destroying of federal structure of the country. NABARD’s decision to put primary cooperative societies under the control of district cooperative banks without discussing with the states and without taking them in confidence is alike a snatch on the States’ rights on the cooperative sector. Such decisions are ruining our federal structure.
The government of India is going to make free trade agreement with European Union. This will compel India to import milk and milk product of European countries, ruining the cooperative dairy sector of India along with Gujarat, he said.
Mr. Modi expressed indignation that the Centre kept the people of India, cattle-breeders and cooperative sector in the dark before making such agreement.
He called upon the cooperative sector to raise voice against the Centre’s policy of strangling the dairy sector and the process of white revolution on hand and giving subsidies to meat export on the other hand, thus encouraging the pink revolution.
The Chief Minister appealed the stakeholders to participate in the national seminar on rural development, scheduled on August 17-18, and in the international agri-tech fair, scheduled in coming September. He also appealed the cooperative organizations to contribute in the state’s efforts of collecting iron farming tools from all the villages of India for constructing Sardar Patel’s tallest statue near Narmada dam.
On the occasion the Chief Minister felicitated Mr. Shivajirav Patil, originator of Maharashtra cooperative development activity, Mr. Ghanshyam Amin, Chairman of Gujarat State Cooperative Federation and Mr. Nrupesh Patel, President of Bhadaran Seva Shakari Mandali.
Ministers Bhupendrasinhji Chudasama, Babhubhai Bokhiriya, Chairman of Gujarat cooperative consumers federation Narhari Amin and Chairman of Gujarat Milk Cooperative Marketing Federation Vipul Chaudhary were also present on the occasion.
