Sonam Norbo is the Deputy Registrar, Cooperative Department of Leh. He pursued M.A in Economics from M.A.M College Jammu. In 2008, he cleared KAS examination after which he has taken the charge of Deputy Registrar in Cooperative Department, Leh.

Q. Brief us about the Cooperative Department.

Cooperative movement was started in India before Independence but in Ladakh, it was introduced during the 2nd Five-Year plan, however, it was only in the 4th five year’s plan the impact of the cooperative started. Today, the cooperative occupies a very important place in the economy of the district. The department provides essential commodities to the people through Baami Duniya Cooperative market and network of block-level consumer Cooperative societies. 

Cooperative society and department is a democratic institution that means the role of the department is to get the societies in different field registered. The cooperative society is formed by a group of people to enhance their socio-economic condition.

The consumer cooperative plays a key role in the past but with the open market facilities and competition, all kind of essential commodities are available in the market easily. Thus, the importance of consumer cooperative market is less as compared to the past.  But the department still plays a leading role in winter month by keeping stocks and making essential commodities available through various consumer cooperative block and district level.

There are two wings in our department, one is Supervisor and other is Audit wing. The dept. supervises the registered societies and audit the performance and accountability of the societies annually. 

Q. What are the role, functions and various schemes provided by the Department?

The role of the department is to get the cooperative societies registered, post registration supervision and audit etc. of the cooperative societies registered under the provisions of Cooperative Societies Act 1989.

The main roles of the cooperatives in the district are: 

•    To ensure availability of essential commodities through the network of district, block and village level consumer cooperative societies.

•    To procure, process and marketing of Seabuckthorn.

•    To procure Dehair and marketing of local Pashmina.

If we talk about the scheme, till today there are no such particular schemes but we have been providing fertilizers for the farmers through various primary cooperative societies in different villages. Recently, with the effort of J&K Cooperative Minister, a new scheme called (ICDP) Integrated Cooperative Development Project under NCDC is going to be launched in Ladakh. The consultancy for the scheme has been appointed and the project DPRs is almost on the completion. The main aim of this scheme is to boost the cooperative societies by providing supports and help through various means such as the cooperative loan, subsidies etc.

Q. How important is it to form a cooperative society and what is its benefit? 

Cooperatives are established to meet the common economic, social and cultural needs and aspiration of the volunteers through a joint effort. A cooperative society is important because people can generate income from their production. Because of cooperative society farmers supply their produced vegetables and fruit to the army and generate income.

Baami Duniya cooperative is a society through which all essential commodities are made available at a fair price for the common public. The women cooperative society promotes their handloom products through the society. 

The best example of cooperative society is All Changthang Pashmina Growers. Earlier, the Pashmina growers used to sell Pashmina to the outsiders in a very less amount and also by the barter system. The actual price of the Pashmina was never obtained. With an establishment of cooperative society, middleman has completely ended and the growers of pashmina are getting the actual price of the Pashmina.

The cooperative organisation is based on the democratic principles. All plans, policies and programs of the society are decided by the majority of its members in the general meeting. Its activities are managed and controlled by the elected representatives of the members. All the members have equal rights to participate in the management of the society. They are based on the principle of equality and equal distribution of income. Thus, a cooperative society has democratic management.

Q. Tell us about the recent Cooperative Super Bazaar ‘Bami Duniya Consumer Cooperative Store’ and ‘Cooperative Chemist Shop’.

Super Bazaar is one of our most important project which aims to provide benefit to the masses by providing all kind of essential commodities at a fair price. Although there is Bami Duniya Consumer Cooperative at the district level it is small and not as per the change of market establishment in present days.

With an effort and support from the Chering Dorje, Minister for Cooperatives and Ladakh Affairs, Super Bazaar is opened in our cooperative market land or old SSB Complex, Leh. The Super Bazaar is first of its kind in the district in which all necessary products will be made available at a very reasonable price with quality.  There is also an availability of Cooperative Chemist Shop where people will get medicines at a very minimal rate as compared to the market.

In addition, every revenue villages there are consumer cooperative societies. There are 77 PACS Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies in the District engaged in the supply of Fertilizer and Consumer goods.

Today all these consumers cooperative run a small store of essential commodities. If this entire small consumer cooperative is made more functional at large under the ICDP scheme, the benefit can be reached out at the grassroots level and we are working on it.

Q. In winter season we don’t get green vegetable and get short of basic necessity goods.  How cooperative department ensures the supply of the goods and its distribution among the people equally?

Yes, in winter we play a good role in making the availability of green vegetables for the people. There is a quota for the Bami Duniya consumer cooperative department through which green vegetables are airlifted from Chandigarh and distributed among the people at a reasonable price.  

In addition, before the road gets closed down we keep the stock of fertilizers which is distributed among the farmer in March.  The stock for winter in terms of essential commodities is made to avoid shortages when the region gets cut off from the other parts of the country. 

The vegetables are distributed among the people on the first come basis and each person can get 3 kilos.

Q. Till now how many registered cooperative society is there in Leh district?

There are 91 registered societies in Leh district:

Type of Cooperative Societies	Numbers
Primary Agri. Credit Societies	77 societies
Coop. Marketing Societies	6 Societies
Handicrafts	1 Societies
Milk Societies	1 Societies
Transport Coop. Societies	1 Societies
District Consumer Store	1 Societies
Others	4 Societies
Total	91 Societies

There are two acts in J&K Cooperative Department, through which the societies get registration, Cooperative Societies Act 1989, and Self Reliant Act 1999. Numbers of Cooperative societies have been registered in 1989 Act but now the new cooperative society cannot get registered under this act. They will be registered in Self Reliant Act 1999.  The main differences is that those cooperative which is registered under Cooperative Societies Act 1989 falls under govt. and all kind of audit and supervision is done by the govt. official of Cooperative Department. But the cooperative which is registered under Self Reliant Act 1999 is wholly run by the members of the society and no supervision is done by the department apart from the registration.

In Leh district, there are seven cooperative societies registered under Cooperative Societies Act 1989. They are Leh Marketing Cooperative societies, Karu Marketing Cooperative Society, Sham Nimmo Vegetables Grower Marketing society, Nubra Marketing Cooperative Society, Chorbat Marketing Cooperative Society, Ladakh Transport Copt Society and All Changthang Pashmina Grower.