Himachal minister meets Shah, discusses plan to promote FPOs in cooperative sector

Urban Development and Cooperation Minister Suresh Bhardwaj called on Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday. Bhardwaj discussed the possibilities of expansion up to the block level by bringing cooperative societies under the Integrated Cooperative Development Project or outside it under the Agricultural Produce Organization (FPO) scheme.

Bhardwaj said that Himachal is working on a scheme aimed at promoting FPOs in the cooperative sector. Under this, the state government has set a target of reaching at least 10,000 farmers through registration of 100 FPOs in a year. He said that the formation of FPOs in the cooperative sector would strengthen the crop harvesting management infrastructure.

He urged the Union Minister to make available funds for the training of the members of the FPO Management Committee separately from the training of Secretaries. He also discussed other issues related to the Ministry of Cooperation with the Union Minister. Suresh Bhardwaj informed that the process of computerization of cooperative societies has been started by the state government in collaboration with NABARD and a provision of Rs 5 crore has been made for computerization of 300 meetings in the state. He urged to provide assistance in the ratio of 80:20 or 90:10 through State-Centre Partnership Scheme to connect all the cooperative societies of the state with this scheme.

He urged for extending the interest subvention to primary agricultural credit societies working in the health, education, MSME and eco-tourism sectors. Till now this facility is being provided only to the meetings working in agriculture and horticulture sector. He also urged for provision of collateral free credit facility up to Rs 20 lakh to cooperative societies so that more cooperative societies can take maximum benefit of schemes like Primary Agricultural Credit Societies or Integrated Cooperative Development Project of the government.

Suresh Bhardwaj also urged the Union Minister to bring state and district cooperative banks under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. This move will encourage these banks to provide advance loans to cooperative societies. He also urged to make provision for establishment expenditure under Integrated Cooperative Development Project, so that proper arrangement of staff could be made for this project. The Union Minister assured to provide all possible assistance to the state.