Union home minister and minister of cooperation Amit Shah on Monday said the government is committed to transforming cooperatives into vibrant and successful business units.
Chairing the second meeting of the consultative committee of the ministry of cooperation, Shah noted that 35,395 new cooperatives have been formed under the plan to establish two lakh multipurpose cooperative societies within five years. These include 6,182 multipurpose primary agricultural credit societies (MPACS), 27,562 dairy cooperatives, and 1,651 fisheries cooperatives.
He said three national-level cooperative societies have been set up for the sector’s growth: the National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL), the National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL), and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL). NCOL supports certification, branding and marketing of organic produce. NCEL facilitates exports, ensuring full profit to farmers. BBSSL conserves and promotes traditional seeds, with plans to contract small farmers for seed production.
Shah urged members of the committee to strengthen the dairy sector in their states and noted that over 100 initiatives had been launched in the past four years to support primary credit societies, cooperatives in dairy, fisheries, banking, and sugar, along with governance reforms.
The ministry presented recent initiatives and highlighted institutional mechanisms including the inter-ministerial committee, national-level and state-level coordination committees, and district-level development bodies for implementation and monitoring.
It also stated that Tribhuvan Sahkari University, set up by a Parliamentary Act, has been declared an institution of national importance. The ministry reiterated its commitment to make cooperatives a driver of rural growth and self-reliance.
The meeting was attended by Union ministers of state Krishan Pal and Murlidhar Mohol, committee members, the ministry secretary and senior officers.