Former union minister Ramakant Khalap said he was willing to be subject to any probe and face prosecution with respect to the affairs of the Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank but asserted that the State government should not destroy the institution, which over decades has played a significant role in Goa’s economy.
Khalap said although there may be some lapses in the management of the bank, it cannot be the ground to let the institution die in the face of difficult economic conditions such as the depressed sentiment in the face of the mining ban.
Khalap said even the nationalised banks were facing similar adverse conditions and the Central government was intervening by allowing banks to merge, infusing capital and several other measures.
In the case of the Co-operative Banks, it is therefore incumbent on the State government to step in. He said, it is a State subject and the government should shun its indifferent attitude towards the problem.
“I have met and personally pleaded with successive chief ministers to intervene through this decade, especially after the mining ban in 2012. I will also meet and request the current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to put his mind to it and come out with some package to salvage the State’s co-operative banks,” Khalap added.
