PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed that the candidates supported by it have been elected unopposed in all 10 District Cooperative Banks (DCBs), the elections of which were recently held.
In the Almora DCB, Mili Latwal was elected unopposed on the post of chairperson while Bhavana Joshi was elected vice chairperson. The BJP has claimed that it is the first time in the State that boards have been formed with unanimous elections for the positions of chairman, vice- chairman and directors in all DCBs.
Latwal was elected in Almora DCB under the women’s reservation scheme. For the first time, 33 per cent reservation for women has been implemented in the elections of cooperative institutions. Three president positions in the state’s 10 district cooperative banks are reserved for women. Similarly, Narendra Ram, Vimla Devi, Mahesh Chandra Singh and Lalit Mohan Singh Latwal from Almora district have been selected to form the general body of the Uttarakhand State Cooperative Bank Limited, Haldwani. Meanwhile, Pushpa Bhakuni and Ganesh Singh have been selected for the general body of the Uttarakhand Regional Cooperative Union.
Cooperation minister Dhan Singh Rawat congratulated all the chairpersons, vice chairpersons, directors and representatives of various cooperative institutions. He said that the unanimous elections in all district cooperative banks demonstrate mutual trust, coordination and organizational solidarity in the cooperative sector. Cooperative institutions are playing a vital role in strengthening the state’s rural economy and economically empowering farmers, women and youth.
He called upon the newly elected office bearers to make the cooperative institutions more transparent, accountable and effective and to ensure that the benefits of the government’s cooperative schemes reach the last person in the society.
Rawat said that 33 per cent reservation has been implemented for the first time to increase women’s participation in the cooperative sector. This will institutionalize women’s participation in the management of cooperative institutions and give new impetus to women’s empowerment in rural areas, he said.
The minister averred that the State government is continuously working on policy reforms, digitization, women’s participation and empowerment of cooperative institutions in the cooperative sector. The newly elected officials should play their role in effectively advancing these efforts on the ground.
