Agri Societies sign MoUs for marketing of consumer goods

Chandigarh, Nov 12 (UNI) Punjab Cooperative Deparment has started a new initiative to have direct tie up with different companies to provide consumer goods of daily use to the farmers and villagers at subsidised rates upto 30 per cent less than the market price.

Initiating this process, various Cooperative Agriculture Service Societies (CASS), which would get 3.5 per cent commission, today signed MoUs with three companies--Phillips India Pvt Ltd, Dixon India Pvt Ltd and Escort India Private Ltd--for supplying electrical appliances and agriculture implements to the villagers.

In the first phase twenty CASSs signed these MoUs. These societies were from Patiala, Ferozepur and Jalandhar division.

Meanwhile, presiding over a meeting of the Advisory committee of Cooperative department here today Punjab Cooperative Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh said that the Punjab Government has chalked out a special plan to bring in major reforms in the working of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) and all other cooperative societies at village level by decentralisation of powers and strengthening them by increasing their sources of income.

He said that the Punjab State Electricity Board has approved the collection of electricity bills through the cooperative societies and for this service Rs five and four would be charged from the consumer and the board respectively. This scheme has been introduced in fifty cooperative societies in the first phase and would be replicated in the others in near future, he added.

He further said that as a part of these major reforms it has been decided to encourage more and more cooperative societies to start village level banking system by ensuring local deposits and promoting local advances thereby cutting the overhead costs in comparison of banks so that the members of these societies could avail loans on cheaper rates.

The minister informed that a special committee has been constituted to make recommendation for expeditious disposal of issues relating to various levels of cooperative societies. The Committee would submit its report within one month.

The Cooperative Department is observing 55th Cooperative Week from November 14 to 20 in the state during which apex bodies of all the federations under the department would organise state level functions in different parts of the state.

UNI PS AK RN2011