To hasten decision-making processes, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies has decentralised certain powers and duties concerning the operations of cooperative societies to deputy registrars, assistant registrars, and special auditors. This decision, according to the recent department notification, empowers designated officers to function autonomously and wield their delegated authority within their respective jurisdictions.
The assistant registrars of cooperative societies have been instructed to prioritise addressing issues raised by cooperative societies and resolve them locally rather than sending them to the registrar’s office. This directive was issued under Section 123 B of the Goa Cooperative Societies Act, 2001. Previously, such applications were solely within the purview of the registrar, with a mandated timeline of 45 days for decision-making.
Moreover, special auditors and cooperative officers have been vested with authority to initiate the reconstitution of societies and to order the de-registration of societies under specific circumstances which means if they have transferred the whole of their assets and liabilities to another society or amalgamated with another society. The decision to cancel the registration of a society due to misrepresentation or when the society no longer has a purpose, however, remains the prerogative of the registrar.
Notwithstanding the delegation of powers, certain functions, such as the seizure of records and books of cooperative societies and the power to constitute a panel of auditors to look into the operations of cooperative societies, will continue to be overseen by the registrar.
In the notification, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Arvind Bugde, emphasised that when necessary, cooperative officers or special auditors must engage assistant registrars, submitting reports for expedited resolution with a strict timeline of 15 days for submission. These are for cases where they feel the intervention of the assistant registrar is required to deal with any of the matters within his delegated powers.
