Ahmadnagar (Maharashtra), Dec 18 (IANS): Making a veiled attack on the Maha Vikash Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, Union Minister for Home Affairs and Co-operation, Amit Shah, said on Saturday that the state is left with only three cooperatives now.

"There was a time when district cooperatives in every district of Maharashtra were considered as ideal. But what has become of them today as only three are left," he asked.

Speaking at the Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Literary Award function and Cooperation Council Conference here, Shah also asked how multi-crore scams occurred in cooperative banks in Maharashtra.

He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had established the Ministry of Co-operation in the 75th year of India's Independence, and "I definitely want to tell the workers in the cooperative movement that the PM Modi-led government will immediately provide all help that the cooperatives require".

"We want this movement to move forward," he said.

Shah also said that now no one can be unjust with the cooperative movement, but at the same time, the need of the hour is to bring transparency, increase efficiency, provide space to youth with professional backgrounds.

The mantra of cooperatives will have to be included in the cooperative movement and these mantras have to be given a proper place, he added.

Talking about the condition of sugar mills in the country, he said that import duty has been imposed on raw sugar by the government, which also gave subsidy to sugar exports, besides increasing the use of ethanol, its blending and price for better financial conditions of the sugar mills.

Taking a dig at the Maharashtra government, Shah said that he was not here not to break the cooperative movement, but to add to the movement, but the state government should also rise above politics and look after the cooperatives.

"Whether a cooperative is in the field of finance, sugar mill, milk, fertilisers, distribution or marketing, it has to adapt to the present times," Shah said.