Kathmandu. According to the Economic Survey of the fiscal year 2082÷2083 released by the Ministry of Finance, the number of cooperatives registered across the country has reached 32,325 as of mid-March 2082.

A total of Rs 1029.57 billion has been mobilized in the cooperative sector and 82,216 people have got direct employment. As of mid-March 2082, 19,903 cooperatives have joined the Cooperative and Poverty Information Management System (COPOMIS), which was developed for integrated data on cooperatives. As of mid-July 2008, 18,897 cooperatives were affiliated to COPOMIS.

The National Cooperative Regulatory Authority (NCRA) has issued operating licenses to 834 cooperatives regulating the cooperative sector in Nepal. Three out of 23 cooperatives declared problematic by the federal government have been wiped out. The remaining 20 cooperatives are yet to pay their assets and liabilities.

So far, a total of 80,087 claims amounting to Rs 47.60 billion have been registered in various phases. So far, a total of Rs 2.54 billion has been paid to 3,688 claimants. Similarly, Rs 122.3 million has been refunded to 8,763 claimants till mid-March of the current fiscal year, according to the survey.