The rationale behind formation of co-operation ministry spearheaded by Amit Shah

The Modi government created a new ministry of cooperation and gave its command over to Home Minister Amit Shah as part of the cabinet reshuffle. There was no mention of the ministry's creation or the desire for it from the cooperative sector. Then there's the matter of why this ministry was founded, and why Amit Shah, the most powerful person in the Modi government, was given command of it. This is said to be the work of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its sister organization Sahakar Bharati.

Satish Kashinath Marathe, a founding member of Sahakar Bharati and a part-time director at the Reserve Bank of India, was the first to celebrate the Modi government's creation of this new ministry and thanked the federal government for responding to Sahakar Bharati's demand in February. Implemented.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) offshoot demanded a new ministry in February, and it was executed within the first fortnight of July, demonstrating the Modi government's readiness. The process of placing the cooperative sector across the country squarely under the control of the Centre and attaching it to a new set of rules and regulations has begun as a result of this.

According to the information released by the Modi government, this ministry would aim to streamline processes for cooperatives to make conducting business easier and to promote multi-state cooperative development. Finance Minister announced this in her budget statement, saying, "I intend to set up a distinct administrative set-up for cooperatives to make it easier for them to do business."

The Modi government worked in full secrecy on the preparations for this new ministry, as is customary. After that, the cooperative's slogan of prosperity was introduced. In this regard, Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), has sent out a tweet that highlights several troubling points to examine. Sitaram Yechury presented the point that cooperative societies are currently managed by state governments, as per the constitution's 7th schedule. This new ministry will demolish India's federal framework in such a case.

Cooperation, like agriculture, is on the concurrent list, which implies it can be governed by both the federal and state governments. The majority of cooperative societies are governed by state regulations, and their regulating offices are the Cooperation Commissioner and the Registrar of Societies. The Centre passed the MultiState Cooperative Organizations Act in 2002, allowing for the registration of cooperative societies that operate in multiple states. These are large banks, dairies, and sugar mills with operations that span multiple states. Their controlling authority is the Central Registrar of Societies, although the State Registrar acts on his behalf on the ground.

Whether it's a village-level PACS or an urban cooperative housing society, cooperative institutions elect their leaders democratically, with members voting for a board of directors. Cooperative institutions have so served as leadership development schools in places such as Maharashtra. Amit Shah had led the Ahmedabad District Central Cooperative Bank in Gujarat for a long period.