Now Reading: West Bengal orders cooperative loan audit, bars politicians from top posts
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West Bengal orders cooperative loan audit, bars politicians from top posts
West Bengal orders cooperative loan audit, bars politicians from top posts
The West Bengal government has ordered audits into alleged corruption in cooperative banks and announced that politicians will no longer head cooperative bodies. Cooperation minister Ashok Kirtania alleged widespread irregularities over the…
The Story in Brief
The West Bengal government has ordered audits into alleged corruption in cooperative banks and announced that politicians will no longer head cooperative bodies. Cooperation minister Ashok Kirtania alleged widespread irregularities over the past 15 years in disbursal and recovery of long-term loans. He said an FIR has been lodged in Mangalkot, East Burdwan, on chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s instructions, with more likely as investigations progress.
The minister warned those involved to return public money or face action. The state has 17 central cooperative banks and 24 district cooperative banks offering long-term loans, with recovery a major concern. The department also plans to introduce IT and AI-based systems for recruitment to the Cooperative Service Commission after no appointments were made for three years.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that this is a political witch-hunt against the old guard will be hard to separate from genuine cleanup. The Bengal government has ordered audits and an FIR, but the same cooperative system functioned for 15 years under the previous regime. The real test is whether recovery of long-term loans improves and whether non-political leadership can actually keep patronage networks out. Will the promised IT-based recruitment finally end the three-year hiring freeze?
Source: millenniumpost.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
