Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah addressed the 5th Foundation Day celebration of the Ministry of Cooperation, highlighting its achievements over the past five years. The Ministry has impacted 30 crore people associated with the cooperative sector and created a digital database of more than 32 crore cooperative members across 8.58 lakh societies in 30 sectors. A nationwide network of new cooperative institutions has been established to integrate sectors such as agriculture, dairy, banking, logistics, and mobility.
Institutional Reforms and Digital Infrastructure
Under institutional reforms, an integrated database of cooperation has been prepared, containing audit status, turnover, and ABC grading of all cooperative societies. A ranking framework for cooperative institutions was launched to identify and highlight the top five societies in each sector. Fifty amendments were made to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, to enhance transparency and democracy. The Tribhuvan Cooperative University was established to produce skilled professionals for banking, dairy, marketing, agriculture, and fertilizers.
Strengthening PACS and Services
Significant efforts were made to strengthen Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). Model by-laws were prepared and accepted nationwide, including in Bengal. Currently, 55,000 PACS provide over 300 services through Common Service Centers (CSCs), including railway ticket booking, birth and death registrations, and applications for Prime Minister’s schemes. Additionally, 39,000 PACS have become Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, over 600 PACS are Jan Aushadhi Kendras, 75 PACS operate petrol and diesel retail outlets, and 118 PACS maintain water supply schemes. The Government of India spent Rs. 3,000 crore to computerize PACS, resulting in 50,000 e-PACS with electronic business operations and e-audit systems.
Cooperative Banking and Financial Improvements
Cooperative banks were linked with modern banking services, introducing digital payments, cyber security, e-KYC, and digital loans. The total business of District Cooperative Banks increased from Rs. 19.6 lakh crore to over Rs. 25 lakh crore. The gross NPA of these banks was reduced from 12.8% to 6.2%, and net NPA decreased from 5.1% to 0.7%. The net profit of Urban Cooperative Banks almost doubled, and NCDC’s net NPA became negligible.
Market Linkages and New Initiatives
Three new cooperative societies were formed for exports and organic production, and three more for implementing circular economy in the dairy sector. The Bharat Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) is expected to become India’s largest seed production company within three years, with new units in every State to provide high-quality seeds. Initiatives for organic farming, circular economy, cattle waste management, organic fertilizers, and energy generation were integrated with the cooperative model. The Gomay Cooperative Society Limited was launched to promote circular economy in the dairy sector through cattle feed, animal health, artificial insemination, dung management, organic fertilizers, and renewable energy production.
Sectoral Contributions and Future Targets
Cooperatives currently handle nearly 20% of agricultural credit, 35% of fertilizer distribution, and 31% of sugar production. White Revolution 2.0 aims to create a strong network of cooperative dairies, with a target to increase milk-producing farmers by 35% in the next two years. In the sugarcane sector, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi waived farmers’ income tax worth Rs. 46,000 crore. Bharat Taxi is expanding to over 500 cities in India, and plans are underway to develop a cooperative life insurance company.
Projects Launched
On the occasion, several projects were launched, including the transfer of 135 foodgrain storage godowns, dedication of 85 godowns, foundation stone laying of 47 godowns, bhoomi pujan of Sahakar Van by Amul and NCCF, bhoomi pujan of BBSSL tissue culture facilities at Barabanki and Jalgaon, launch of NCD 3.0 and geo-tag mobile application, NDDB’s milk supply review dashboard portal, initiatives under Cooperative Inputs and Services Delivery Multi-State Limited, inauguration of Cooperative Milk Producers Organization Multi-State Limited and Gomay Cooperative Society Multi-State Limited, and unveiling of NUCFDC’s Sahakar CBS and Sahakar Sahayogi. An MoU was signed between BBSSL and ICAR to strengthen seed systems, and model by-laws for dairy cooperative societies were released.