Balasore: Officials of the cooperation department have been asked to conduct field visits and assess the ground situation of the farming sector and the farmers in Balasore. Moreover, officials of the cooperative banks are directed to act against loan defaulters.
This was instructed by Minister of Cooperation, and, food, civil supplies and consumer welfare Ranendra Pratap Swain Monday. He was reviewing the activities of cooperation department in Bhadrak and Balasore at the conference hall of the Balasore-Bhadrak Central Cooperative Bank.
Swain underscored the need for implementing 5Ts as espoused by the state government in all aspects of his department’s activities.
“There is a need to make use of technology and work with efficiency and transparency to boost faster development of the state, apart from maintaining good rapport with people,” the minister said.
Warning a note of caution, the minister said, “Those who will be found neglecting their duties will be taken to task.”
There are allegations that farmers fail to get their payment for paddy in time while they have not received other wages during paddy procurement from some cooperative societies in 2014-15.
The minister also directed the cooperative officials to make field visits and routinely conduct reviews on the performance of cooperative societies and banks.
The minister made it clear that he would hold a review meeting on the progress of implementation of his directive after four months.
Officials were asked to ensure that farmers are disbursed loans for purchase of power tillers, tractors and other agriculture implement. The minister was also made aware of the number of vacancies and steps taken for computerisation of societies.
PNN