Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, in a pre-recorded address to the UN, heralded India’s cooperative sector as a dynamic force for innovation and self-reliance, extending beyond traditional roles into digital services, energy, and financial inclusion. Speaking at a commemorative event marking the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, Shah emphasized that India’s 840,000 cooperative societies, with over 320 million members, are transforming rural and urban economies while aligning with sustainable development goals.
“In India, cooperation is a vibrant, community-driven system spanning agriculture, finance, construction, and digital inclusion,” Shah said, highlighting the sector’s role in delivering local benefits and dignified livelihoods in underdeveloped areas. The event, co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of India, Kenya, and Mongolia at UN Headquarters, underscored the theme “Cooperatives and Sustainable Development: Maintaining Momentum and Exploring New Pathways.”
Shah credited the 2021 establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, as a “historic” step. The ministry’s mantra, “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation), has driven initiatives like the creation of three multi-state cooperative societies: Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL). These bodies aim to connect farmers to global markets, ensuring quality inputs, branding, and fair export profits, transforming producers from local to global players.
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Technological advancements are central to this transformation. Shah noted that digital platforms and AI are making cooperatives more inclusive, with innovations in healthcare, education, and organic farming. The world’s largest grain storage program, implemented through cooperatives, strengthens food security and boosts farmer incomes by ensuring organized markets and better prices. Additionally, the newly established Tribhuvan Sahkari University in Gujarat, named after cooperative pioneer Tribhuvandas Patel, will train over 2 million personnel in cooperative management, finance, and rural development over the next five years, fostering innovation and leadership.
The National Cooperative Policy 2025-45, unveiled on July 24, aims to modernize the sector, targeting one cooperative per village and 50 crore members by 2047. Drafted by a 48-member committee led by Suresh Prabhu, the policy incorporates 648 stakeholder suggestions to create a transparent, professional ecosystem contributing significantly to India’s GDP. Recent initiatives include computerizing 40,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), expanding their services to 25 activities like green energy distribution, and exempting cooperative sugar mills from additional income tax on fair cane prices.
India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, emphasized the sector’s century-long role in national growth, rooted in the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). He urged leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance cooperative efficiency. NAFED’s Managing Director, Deepak Agarwal, showcased the sector’s collaborative spirit, while Kenya and Mongolia’s representatives highlighted their own cooperative successes, reinforcing global momentum.
Shah’s address positioned India’s cooperatives as a model for human-centered development, blending cultural values of partnership and social justice with modern innovation. As the UN event drew global stakeholders, India’s cooperative movement emerged as a blueprint for inclusive, sustainable progress, poised to inspire worldwide.
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