Co-op Dept set to launch ICDP in 6 districts
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 01 2018: The Cooperation Department is all set to launch a new project namely Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) in six districts of the State, said Cooperation Department Assistant Registrar O Jiten.

Speaking to media persons at a press conference organised by DIPR at its Moirangkhom complex today, O Jiten said ICDP would be taken up in Imphal East, Imphal West, Kangpokpi, Jiribam, Tamenglong and Ukhrul districts with the primary objective of boosting cooperative movement in these districts.

The project would be taken up under the National Cooperative Development Project.

Through this project, cooperative societies would be given working capital comprising of both loan and subsidy, and machinery apart from construction of godowns and work sheds, said the Assistant Registrar.

A Somorendro, another Assistant Registrar of the same department, said that cooperative movement in Manipur dates back to ancient period and it existed in the form of Singlup, Purnima, Thashi Marup etc.

The Indian Cooperative Societies Act 1912 was formally launched in Manipur in 1939 and the same Act was replaced by the Manipur Cooperative Societies Act 1976.At present, there are 9278 cooperative societies registered under the Manipur Cooperative Societies Act 1976 and their total member is 7,39,961.Out of 21,307 societies registered under the Manipur Societies Registration Act 1989, 1519 are State-level societies while 19788 are primary level youth clubs, voluntary organisations and NGOs, Somorendro said.

In addition, 114 societies have been issued licences for lending money under the Bombay Money Lenders Act 1946.Registration of societies under the three Acts, imparting training to members of registered societies, annual audits and other monitoring works are done by Cooperation Department.

But the department has nothing to do with giving and re-collecting loans to/from the registered societies, Somorendro said.

Even though almost 80 per cent of the registered 9278 cooperative societies are functional, cooperative movement is still quite feeble as compared to other States of India, he remarked.

These societies and the department communicate only at the time of audit.

Some societies may not be functional but the department has no concrete report, he added.

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