The State government is taking all steps to strengthen and empower cooperative institutions, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Vijayapura on Monday.
He was speaking at the valedictory of the All India Cooperative Week organised by the State Federation of Cooperative Societies.
“The State government is buying milk powder worth ₹1,200 crore every year from KMF, a premier cooperative institution. We have increased incentive for milk farmers to ₹8 per litre, which will support rural milk societies in turn. The State government has decided to expand the upper limit to ₹5 lakh under zero per cent interest farm loans,” he said.
“The government is paying membership fees for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women members of cooperative societies. All these steps will go a long way in broadening the base of the cooperative movement in the State,” he said.
He said that the State government will seriously consider the suggestion from the federation that funds of various government departments can be deposited in cooperative banks and societies rather than nationalised or private banks.
He said that around 8.5 lakh cooperatives have over 31 crore members in the country. “In Karnataka alone, there are over 46,500 societies. They are truly secular institutions, without any space for discrimination based on caste or religion. If run in a selfless manner, they can lead to prosperity and higher GDP growth,” the Chief Minister said.
He felicitated 70 achievers from the field of cooperation. He also inaugurated the new building of Shanteshwar Multi-purpose Cooperative Society in Vijayapura.
Ministers M.B. Patil, K.N. Rajanna and Shivanand Patil, the former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda, Apex Bank office-bearers, district-level cooperative society presidents and others were present.
