Revamping Democracy: CEA Calls for Aligned Bylaws in Railway Employee Cooperatives

The Cooperative Election Authority has urged railway employee cooperative societies to update their bylaws in line with recent legislative changes. During a meeting with representatives from 16 multi-state cooperatives, discussions focused on governance, election procedures, and the need for timely election proposals. The authority oversees elections in societies impacting millions of workers.

The Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) has urged railway employee cooperative societies to update their bylaws in accordance with the latest amendments to legislation. This move aims to bolster democratic governance within the sector.

During a meeting with representatives from 16 multi-state cooperative societies, discussions centered on aligning society bylaws with the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023. The focus was on establishing representative general bodies and ensuring that election proposals are submitted at least six months before the boards' tenures end. Attendees included more than 40 office bearers from various cooperatives.

CEA Chairperson Devendra Kumar Singh highlighted that the authority has conducted 220 elections since its formation, with 70 ongoing nationwide. The authority, created following 2023 amendments, oversees electoral processes in multi-state cooperative societies. India has around 18 such societies serving railway employees, involving around 8,00,000 to 1 million workers. These societies manage about Rs 10,000 crore in deposits and loans, providing concessional lending rates to members. CEA Vice-chairperson R K Gupta discussed challenges faced in elections, while Anand Kumar Jha, Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, emphasized the urgency of bylaw revisions for smooth election conduct.

(With inputs from agencies.)