Kathmandu, May 28 -- Weak regulation, political interference and non-transparent operations have been identified as the main causes behind the crisis in the cooperative sector, according to a commission report made public on Thursday.

The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration released the report.

According to the report, approvals for the registration of cooperatives, expansion of operational areas, service centres and branch offices were granted without adequate study or clear standards.

The report said some operators had deviated from the core objectives of cooperatives and engaged in embezzlement, misuse of depositors' savings and non-transparent transactions.

The commission also iden...