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Cooperative expo gets under way

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 10-day All-India Cooperative Expo that began at Kanakakunnu here on Monday seeks to highlight the achievements of the cooperative movement in the State and analyse the challenges being faced by it. Nearly a hundred cooperative institutions from the national to the primary levels are participating in the expo, in addition to several public sector institutions. ‘Cooperation in all spheres’ is the theme of this event being organised by the Department of Cooperation. In a press release, the organisers said Kerala had the most vibrant of cooperative movements in the country. The movement had a strong influence on all fields of activities in both rural and urban areas of the State. The agricultural credit societies protected the common man of the State from the exploitation of unscrupulous moneylenders. The movement in the State had an outstanding credit balance of Rs.45,000 crore. Its credibility among the people was underscored by the fact that its outstanding deposits now reached the level of Rs.50,000 crore. The movement’s schemes such as the one providing interest-free loans for paddy cultivation and another providing loans at very low interest rates for the cultivation of other crops offered the farmers a sense of security in Kerala. Cooperative institutions such as Consumerfed were a protective cover against price increase for the ordinary consumers of the State. Cooperative institutions were managing one medical college, six engineering colleges, one nursing college, a business management college and a finishing school in the State. The Kerala State Cooperative Bank, various district cooperative banks and even primary cooperatives were preparing to start professional colleges. The press release also mentioned the revival of the Kerala Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sanghom over the last three years. It had published nearly 500 books during this period. Twenty-five new titles were to be released on December 7 at a function in connection with expo. The institution had cleared royalty arrears amounting to Rs.2 crore to writers recently. Seminars discussing the role of cooperatives in various development and social sectors of the State were also being organised.

                                                                                                               
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