Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chaired a series of review meetings in New Delhi on June 18, 2026, focusing on national-level cooperative initiatives to strengthen the cooperative banking ecosystem, promote organic products through cooperatives, and expand the global reach of cooperative products through exports. The meetings were attended by Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Secretary of Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Chairman of NABARD Shri Shaji K.V., and representatives from key cooperative institutions including the proposed Cooperative Bank of India (COBI), Sahakar Sarathi Private Limited (SSPL), National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).
During the cooperative banking review, Shah emphasized the need for faster adoption of common digital platforms, cyber security systems, and shared services by cooperative banks. The meeting reviewed the progress of Bank.in, a dedicated banking domain initiative for cooperative banks, and ongoing efforts for wider deployment of technology-enabled services and digital solutions across the sector. A significant initiative discussed was the integration of MuleHunter.AI with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to strengthen fraud risk management and cyber security capabilities within cooperative banks, enhancing their preparedness against emerging digital threats.
The meeting noted that NUCFDC, the Umbrella Organisation for Urban Cooperative Banks, is working to bring all Urban Cooperative Banks on a common platform and expand its membership base to cover the entire UCB sector. SSPL has rolled out AePS services with e-KYC already live in select cooperative banks, and expansion is underway in some states with a target to cover 100 cooperative banks by August 2026. This initiative has significantly reduced the cost of digital banking services for cooperative banks. Shah directed that all Rural Cooperative Banks should become members of Sahakar Sarathi Private Limited and all Urban Cooperative Banks should become members of NUCFDC.
In the review of National Cooperative Organics Limited, Shah emphasized that NCOL should scale up procurement operations to source organic produce from a larger number of organic farmers across the country. The organization should identify and map organic producers and products, supporting farmers throughout the organic value chain by facilitating testing, certification, quality assurance, capacity building, and compliance with organic standards. NCOL was also directed to provide strong market linkages for organic produce to ensure farmers access remunerative markets, thereby strengthening the organic ecosystem and enhancing farmers' incomes.
The review of National Cooperative Exports Limited focused on expanding market linkages in international markets for cooperative products with strong global competitiveness. NCEL was directed to enhance business engagement with member cooperatives, strengthen the national cooperative export ecosystem, and work closely with various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India through a whole-of-government approach. The organization should actively identify and develop export opportunities for niche and value-added products, enabling cooperatives to access new markets and improve their global presence through Co-op Mark, digital marketplaces, and international expansion.
The Ministry of Cooperation reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the cooperative sector in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi', with focus on innovation, financial inclusion, digital transformation, sustainable agriculture, better market access for farmers, and global competitiveness of cooperative products.