MYSORE: Chairman of the National Institute for Rural Banks (NIRB) B.S. Vishwanath on Tuesday said that recommendations to improve the functioning of cooperative societies and banks would be submitted to the State Government in the first week of May.

The committee, he said, has made 30 recommendations to address the problems plaguing the sector. Mr. Vishwanath told presspersons here that the three-member Cooperative Act Amendment Committee was set up by the State Government to suggest remedies to improve the ailing cooperative sector.

Among the major recommendations, he said, the committee felt that the government nominations in the cooperative societies should be discontinued, as it amounts to interference by the Government. "Presently, lakhs of people are nominated to around 30,000 cooperative societies in the State, and that this nomination takes place every time the government changes," he said.

He said: "Cooperative societies in countries such as Poland have thrived even with out a department or a minister to look after the affairs of cooperative societies."

Polish delegation

Earlier, Mr. Vishwanath welcomed a delegation of 10 senior executives of various cooperative unions from Poland, who are on a visit to India to study the functioning of cooperative movement. The 10-member delegation led by President of International Cooperative Banker's Association Eugeniusz Laszkiewicz, had visited New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai before arriving in Mysore

In his welcome address, Mr. Viswanath said that it was the sixth delegation from Poland, which was visiting India after the countries entered into an understanding to have mutual visits by cooperative society leaders. While officials of cooperative banks from India have visited Poland and Switzerland in the past, another delegation from India was being taken to Poland in July 2006.

He said that Polish counterparts have entered into an agreement with IFFCO for setting up a fertilizer plant, which was subject to the approval by both Indian and Polish governments.

Besides Mr. Laszkiewicz, the Polish delegation comprises Secretary General of International Cooperative Banker's Association Ewa Ochocka and heads of leading cooperative banks from Poland. The delegation was welcomed at Hotel Lalitha Mahal Palace by Chairman of Mysore District Cooperative Bank Basave Gowda and the former Mayor Vasu.

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