More remuneration for agri-coops employess, new award;CM

Sonepat, Nov 19 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced to increase monthly remuneration of the employees of the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies and directed the Cooperative Department to institute a new award for the best Cooperator to honour him with a cash award of Rs one lakh on the occasion of next year's Cooperative Day.

The Chief Minister, while addressing a statelevel Cooperative Day function here today, said the monthly remuneration of the salesman and clerks in these societies would be increased from Rs 5000 to Rs 6750 and of the Chawkidars and Peons from Rs 3500 to Rs 4750.

He appreciated the important role played by the cooperative movement in ushering in green revolution in the country in general and in Haryana in particular and said that the responsibilities of the cooperative societies had further increased with the new research and inventions in the agriculture sector.

He said that the state government had given the most remunerative prices to the farmers for their agriculture produce. The state government not only waived off the interest amounting to Rs 830 crore on cooperative loans but also decreased the rate of interest on cooperative loans from 11 per cent to 7 per cent.

This step had benefitted 3,82,000 farmers in the state. The Congress led UPA government at the Centre had also waived off loans amounting to Rs 2179 crore of 7,12,000 farmers of Haryana, he added.

He said that during last three-and-a-half years rule of his government, the Minimum Support Price of Wheat had been increased by Rs 380 per quintal as against increase of Rs 40 during the rule of the previous state government.

Similarly, the prices of sugarcane also increased by Rs 53 per quintal whereas the increase during the period of previous government was only Rs seven, he added.

The Haryana Agriculture Minister, Harmohinder Singh Chatha, Parliamentary Secretary, Anil Thakkar and Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Manik Sonawane also addressed the function.

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