Imphal: The cooperative movement in Manipur needs greater participation from young people and women to remain relevant and create new livelihood opportunities, Registrar of Cooperative Societies W Ibohal said during the 15th session of the “Meet the Press” programme at the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) auditorium on Tuesday.
Ibohal said the cooperative sector should not be viewed only as a traditional system of rural credit, but as a platform offering opportunities in employment, entrepreneurship, access to finance and collective business activities.
“With changing technology and markets, cooperatives can become platforms through which young people can start businesses, work together, access government schemes and find new livelihood opportunities,” he said.
Giving an overview of the cooperative sector, Ibohal said the movement in Manipur began in 1939 following the adoption of the Indian Co-operative Societies Act, 1912. Sanjenbam Nodiachand Singh was the state’s first Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
Manipur now has 11,659 registered cooperative societies with around 820,835 members. Of these, 5,337 societies are functioning, while 6,322 are non-functioning, he said.
Ibohal said the department is focusing on the revival and strengthening of cooperative institutions so they can serve their members and local communities more effectively.
He said cooperatives can help people pool resources, access institutional finance and reach markets collectively.
The department has extended Rs 20 lakh in financial assistance to cooperative societies, including Rs 18 lakh to 36 Primary Multipurpose Rural Cooperative Societies, with Rs 50,000 each provided to 18 Valley and 18 Hill societies.
Another Rs 2 lakh has been provided to the Manipur State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society Ltd, the state’s apex handloom cooperative.
The Registrar said financial assistance alone cannot ensure the success of a cooperative. Active participation by members, proper management and new ideas are equally important.
He particularly stressed the need to bring more young people and women into the cooperative movement.
Pisciculture was another major area highlighted during the briefing.
Under the Central Sector Integrated Scheme on Agricultural Cooperation (CSISAC), the National Cooperative Development Corporation has sanctioned Rs 36.3565 crore for pisciculture projects in Imphal East, Imphal West, Kakching and Bishnupur.
The assistance comprises a Rs 26.789-crore loan and a Rs 9.5675-crore subsidy. The projects include new and renovated ponds, hatchery units, ice plants, cold storage facilities and refrigerated vehicles, Ibohal said.
A total of 167 cooperative societies have benefited from the pisciculture projects, including nine in Imphal East, 46 in Imphal West, 29 in Kakching and 83 in Bishnupur.
He said such projects could provide livelihood opportunities for people interested in fisheries and related activities. Working collectively could also help members overcome difficulties in arranging finance, infrastructure and market access individually.
The Registrar also spoke about the department’s move towards digitalisation of cooperative services.
Computerisation of the offices of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies is being implemented under the Centrally Sponsored Project “Strengthening Cooperatives through IT Interventions”.
The system will enable services including registration, audit, inspection, inquiry, amendment of bye-laws, e-payment, elections, appeals, liquidation and revival of societies to be handled digitally.
The initiative is aimed at making services simpler and more accessible while reducing dependence on paperwork and manual processes.
The department has already procured 89 hardware items, comprising 36 all-in-one computers, 17 multifunction machines and 36 online UPS units.
Deloitte has been engaged as the Software Development Agency, with 18 software modules finalised. The new digital system will also be linked with the National Cooperative Database to improve record-keeping and monitoring of cooperative societies.
The total cost of the RCS computerisation project is Rs 2,41,78,293, of which the Government of India is contributing Rs 2,32,60,463 and the state government Rs 9,17,830.
Software development is fully funded by the Centre up to Rs 1.50 crore, including GST, he said.
The department is also working on the computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and their integration with the National Cooperative Database.
Ibohal said PACS should gradually move beyond their traditional role of providing credit and develop into multipurpose institutions serving wider rural needs.
Other initiatives being taken up by the department include the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan, a web-based registration and monitoring portal, formulation of a State Cooperation Policy, pisciculture projects, and the strengthening and revival of apex cooperative societies.
Ibohal said the cooperative sector has the potential to contribute to financial inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship and rural livelihoods, particularly in agriculture, fisheries, dairy, handloom and other allied sectors.
At the same time, the department continues to face a shortage of manpower.
Of its 506 sanctioned posts, only 204 are filled, leaving 302 vacancies. Despite the shortage, the department continues activities including registration, audit, inspection, inquiry, revival and restructuring of cooperative societies.
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The Legal Section of the department is currently dealing with around 73 pending cases, Ibohal informed the media.
With more than 11,000 registered cooperative societies and over eight lakh members, Ibohal said Manipur already has a broad cooperative network. The challenge, he said, is to make these institutions active, sustainable and more useful to their members.
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