LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that ban on registration of housing cooperative societies will continue while non-functional agri-cooperative societies will be restored.
Chairing a meeting to review the performance of the Cooperative Department and The Punjab Provincial Cooperation Bank Limited. The meeting approved different steps to make the Cooperative Department an active entity and also decided to lift the ban on registration of agri-cooperative societies.
The chief minister said that The Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Limited will be revamped to strengthen the agri-economy. He announced that a professional and talented candidate will be chosen on merit for the post of the bank president. The meeting also approved to decrease the number of bank’s board of directors from 39 up to 15.
Usman Buzdar directed that surplus funds of Punjab Cooperative Board for Liquidation be best utilized and farmers’ service centres of Cooperative Department be operationalised soon. He also called for the detail of approved vacant posts in the Cooperative Bank and Cooperative Department at the earliest.
He said the role of the Cooperative Department is very important to strengthen the agri-economy but former rulers committed injustice with the farmers by totally ignoring this department in the past. The incumbent government will boost cooperative movement and the Cooperative Department will be fully patronised to strengthen the agri-economy, he assured.
The chief minister was told that 29188 agri-cooperative societies and 258 cooperative housing societies are registered in Punjab but the ban is imposed on the registration of new cooperative societies since 1997. 151 branches of The Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Limited are working.
Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat, Cooperative Minister Mehr Muhammad Aslam Bharwana, Secretary Cooperative, Chairman Punjab Cooperative Board for Liquidation, acting president The Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Limited and others attended the meeting.
