Panaji: Goa state cooperative draft policy has been submitted to state govt, focusing on raising funds to strengthen weak cooperative societies and allowing profit-making cooperatives to handhold weaker ones. Other key recommendations include setting up a training institution, encouraging youth participation in the cooperative sector, and enabling cooperative societies to organise labour supply in the state.The committee formed to draft the Goa state cooperative policy, headed by former South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, submitted the policy to cooperation minister Subhash Shirodkar.
“The valuable suggestions provided by the committee members and stakeholders were instrumental in shaping this policy, which aims to strengthen and promote the cooperative movement in the state,” Sawaikar said. “I appreciate the efforts of the drafting committee. I am grateful to state govt for providing me with the opportunity to develop this policy.”The cooperation department was formed for the first time after Union govt announced a national cooperative policy. Following this, all state govts were directed to frame state-specific cooperative policies to promote the cooperative movement, boost the economy, and generate employment. In this backdrop, Goa govt constituted a committee to draft the state’s policy.The policy recommends establishing training institutes to encourage youth to acquire skills in the cooperative sector, benefiting them in the long term. It also notes the large number of weak cooperative societies in the state and stresses the urgent need to strengthen them through fund mobilisation and support from larger cooperatives.Further, the policy suggests promoting cooperative societies in floriculture, horticulture, and fisheries, and facilitating access to central govt schemes.The committee worked for the past two months to finalise the policy and received around 15 written suggestions along with several verbal inputs.
