First Convocation of Tribhuvan Sahkari University
Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol chaired the First Convocation of Tribhuvan Sahkari University at Anand, Gujarat, where 302 students received graduate degrees and 2 students were awarded PhD degrees. The university is India's first national university dedicated to the cooperative sector, established on the 45-year academic legacy of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), which was accorded Institution of National Importance status in 2025.
Cooperative Sector Expansion and Statistics
India has more than 8.5 lakh cooperative societies with over 32 crore members, representing nearly half of the country's population directly or indirectly connected with the cooperative sector. The Ministry of Cooperation, established in July 2021, has taken more than 140 important decisions during the past five years to expand, modernize, and strengthen the cooperative ecosystem. A target has been set to establish two lakh multipurpose PACS across the country over the next five years, with more than 35,000 societies already formed and functioning.
Financial Assistance and Institutional Development
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) provided approximately ₹55,000 crore assistance to the cooperative sector from its establishment in 1963 until 2014. Under the current leadership, nearly ₹4.5 lakh crore in financial assistance was provided during the 11 years from 2014 to 2025. New institutions including National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) have been established to provide farmers with an integrated 'seed to market' ecosystem.
Sector Performance and Initiatives
Amul achieved a total turnover of ₹1 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26 with more than 36 lakh women associated with the organization. White Revolution 2.0 has been launched with the objective of increasing milk procurement by 50 percent over the next five years. The cooperative model is expanding into new areas including organic farming, seed production, tourism, storage, insurance, food processing, and digital services. Bharat Taxi, based on the concept of 'The Driver is the Owner', is planned to expand to nearly 500 cities across the country over the next two years.
Governance Reforms and Human Resource Requirements
The National Cooperation Policy aims to make the cooperative sector modern, transparent, accountable, and capable. The Cooperative Election Authority has been established to ensure independent and time-bound elections, while the institution of the Cooperative Ombudsman has been created for effective grievance redressal. The cooperative sector will require more than 17 lakh trained youth in the coming years, with appointments from primary cooperative societies to apex cooperative institutions now being made on the basis of merit and professional standards.