A large number of cooperative shops opened with government grants have vanished, and funding totalling Rs 10.04 million has gone to waste.
According to the Division Cooperative Office, Charikot, 95 cooperative shops have disappeared after obtaining government handouts. The government had given cash gifts of Rs 100,000 each to 104 cooperatives in a bid to ensure smooth supply of essential household products at reasonable prices.
In 2010, the Maoist-led government had launched a scheme providing grants to cooperatives in every village development committee (VDC) so that they could serve consumers better. In the municipalities, grants were provided to cooperatives that were accessible to 30,000 people. The government had provided Rs 100,000 each to 50 cooperatives in Dolakha and 54 in Ramechhap districts to open subsidized shops. “Now only five such cooperatives in Dolakha and two in Ramechhap are left,” said Prem Prakash Khatri, information officer at the division. “There is no trace of the other cooperatives that have received government money.”
In 2009, the government had drawn up a cooperative directive and formed monitoring committees in each district to keep an eye on the cooperative shops. However, the committee has been inactive and has not sent any reports to the Department of Cooperatives.
The division office said that they were able to conduct inspections of such shops only once three years ago. The local people have blamed the weak supervision of the concerned authorities for the disappearance of the shops. They alleged that a number of new cooperatives were registered just to obtain government grants. No legal action has been initiated against the cooperatives despite the embezzlement of government money. The cooperative shops were assigned to sell daily essential commodities at subsidized rates besides selling agricultural tools, fertilizers and seeds.
However, some of the shops were found selling alcohol and tobacco products. The locals also accused them of cheating consumers because they were charging higher prices despite their instructions to sell goods at fair prices.
Presently, only 10 percent of the original cooperative shops are operating in the two districts. District-level committees have full authority to scrap the licences of the shops that have downed their shutters, file cases against them and suspend their financial transactions if they fail to operate according to the prescribed norms.
Officials at the division office said that effective monitoring could not be conducted due to poor infrastructure and lack of skilled manpower.
Source
According to the Division Cooperative Office, Charikot, 95 cooperative shops have disappeared after obtaining government handouts. The government had given cash gifts of Rs 100,000 each to 104 cooperatives in a bid to ensure smooth supply of essential household products at reasonable prices.
In 2010, the Maoist-led government had launched a scheme providing grants to cooperatives in every village development committee (VDC) so that they could serve consumers better. In the municipalities, grants were provided to cooperatives that were accessible to 30,000 people. The government had provided Rs 100,000 each to 50 cooperatives in Dolakha and 54 in Ramechhap districts to open subsidized shops. “Now only five such cooperatives in Dolakha and two in Ramechhap are left,” said Prem Prakash Khatri, information officer at the division. “There is no trace of the other cooperatives that have received government money.”
In 2009, the government had drawn up a cooperative directive and formed monitoring committees in each district to keep an eye on the cooperative shops. However, the committee has been inactive and has not sent any reports to the Department of Cooperatives.
The division office said that they were able to conduct inspections of such shops only once three years ago. The local people have blamed the weak supervision of the concerned authorities for the disappearance of the shops. They alleged that a number of new cooperatives were registered just to obtain government grants. No legal action has been initiated against the cooperatives despite the embezzlement of government money. The cooperative shops were assigned to sell daily essential commodities at subsidized rates besides selling agricultural tools, fertilizers and seeds.
However, some of the shops were found selling alcohol and tobacco products. The locals also accused them of cheating consumers because they were charging higher prices despite their instructions to sell goods at fair prices.
Presently, only 10 percent of the original cooperative shops are operating in the two districts. District-level committees have full authority to scrap the licences of the shops that have downed their shutters, file cases against them and suspend their financial transactions if they fail to operate according to the prescribed norms.
Officials at the division office said that effective monitoring could not be conducted due to poor infrastructure and lack of skilled manpower.
Source
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