By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 8: Former President of the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCFN) Keshav Badal has been awarded the Kamal Mani Memorial Sajha Sewa Cooperative Award for the year 2078 BS.
Badal was presented the award, which carries a purse of Rs. 50,000, by Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Shrestha amid a function in Lalitpur on Friday.
According to Sajha Sewa Cooperative Limited, Badal was awarded for his contribution to the national economy through cooperatives.

Badal has previously been a member of the House of Representatives, head of the Land Reform Commission and Minister for Industry.
He has written more than a dozen books on cooperatives and played an active role in drafting the Cooperative Acts of 1991 and 2017. He has also served in the board of the International Cooperative Alliance.
Badal was recommended for the prize by the NCFN board.

Felicitating Badal, Minister Shrestha called cooperatives an important pillar of the country’s economy and said that awards like these supported the cooperatives’ growth and development.
She also called everyone’s attention to the unethical behaviour of some cooperatives and stressed the need to make the sector accountable to the public.
Accepting the prize, Badal dedicated the award to all the members and employees of all the cooperatives of the country and stressed the need for them to remain autonomous, independent and innovative to deliver the best services to the citizens.

Officials from the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Department of Cooperatives were also present at the event.
The Kamal Mani Memorial Award was established in 2075 BS.