Best-performing cooperative societies across Dindigul district were felicitated by Minister for Cooperation I. Periyasamy and Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani at the 69th All-India Cooperative Week celebrations here on Friday.
The Ministers also distributed welfare assistance worth ₹33.25 crore to 5,360 beneficiaries and eight women self-help groups (SHGs) in the presence of Dindigul MP P. Velusamy, MLAs I.P. Senthilkumar and S. Gandhirajan and Collector S. Visakan.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Periyasamy said Union Ministers who took stock of the functioning of fair price shops in the State last month had lauded the Public Distribution System (PDS) in place here and issued certificates of appreciation too.
He noted that after DMK came to power, loans taken by SHGs and farmers totalling ₹13,047 crore were written off. In Dindigul district alone, loans to the tune of ₹900 crore, including SHG loans, jewellery loans and agricultural loans, were waived. Loans up to ₹800 crore had been disbursed so far for the animal husbandry sector.
‘Point out the faults’
Mr. Periyasamy said the aim of the cooperative sector was to work for the welfare of the people to the satisfaction of the Chief Minister. “There is no need to bother to satisfy anyone else, especially if one person feels dissatisfied. In that case, let him point out the faults,” he said, while responding to a query on the statement of Finance Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan that he was not satisfied with the development of the cooperative sector.
Mr. Periyasamy also said the announcement of providing pension to fair price shop employees would be made at the State-level cooperative society meeting in Coimbatore on Saturday.
Mr. Sakkarapani said over 6,100 posts had been created in the cooperative sector. Seventy-five fair price shops in the district would be renovated. Out of the 1,034 shops functioning in the district, 821 were functioning in own buildings and 213 in rented buildings. Steps would be taken to create 152 new fair price shops, he added.
He said 13,50,000 ration cards were issued in the last 15 months, with the share of Dindigul district standing at 44,820.
Winners of essay and elocution competitions, held at schools and colleges to commemorate the Cooperative Week, were felicitated on the occasion.
Joint Registrar of Regional Co-operative Societies, Dindigul, K. Gandhinathan, Mayor J. Ilamathi and Deputy Mayor S. Rajappa were present.
