Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, said that Cooperatives are the only medium for economic development of the 60 crore population of the country, which does not have capital.
Addressing a two-day National Conference of State Cooperation Ministers, Shah noted that the Central Government has taken 54 initiatives in the last 27 months to strengthen cooperative movement in the country and increase cooperatives’ share in GDP. As per the minister, these initiatives have special focus on strengthening the Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS). The initiatives aimed towards ease of doing business include computerization of PACS, model byelaws, widening the functioning of PACS to undertake more than 30 business activities like dairy, setting up of godowns, LPG/Petrol/Green energy distribution agency, banking correspondents, PACS can provide more than 300 services as Common Service Centres (CSC) and preparation of an updated data repository of cooperatives.
Signifying the role of NCDC in fulfilling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar se Samridhi, Amit Shah said that NCDC has disbursed financial assistance of more than INR 41,000 crore in the Financial Year 2022-23 across the country including rural areas. The Minister of Cooperation said that NCDC is set to achieve 10 times growth in disbursement of financial assistance in the current financial year from INR 5,300 crore in 2013-14.
Furthermore, the minister said, significant initiatives like Jan Aushadhi Kendras, PACS as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendra and PACS as Paani Samiti to undertake the work of Operation and Maintenance of Piped Water Supply schemes in rural areas can provide sustainable income to the PACS and employment opportunities to the youth in rural areas.
The minister added, “ National Cooperative Database has been developed with the assistance of State Governments, which is having comprehensive, authentic and updated data of more than 8.00 lakh cooperative societies.”
‘Sahakar se Samridhi’
The new National Cooperative Policy is being formulated to realise the vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’.
“All the States will have to work together in the spirit of Team India for the development of the cooperative sector. Our target should be that in 100 years, cooperatives become a strong pillar of the country’s economy,” Mr. Shah said, adding that the cooperatives should play a major role in taking the country’s economy to $5 trillion.
While highlighting the steps taken by the ministry for the growth of the cooperative sector, Shah said, “The number of PACS would be increased to three lakhs in five years besides the creation of a national database of the cooperative sector.”
In terms of Seed production, as per the minister, a multi-state co-operative would be formed which would conduct R&D, conserve our existing varieties and develop new ones. Four or five big co-operative organisations would be roped in to set up this multi-State co-operative.
To certify organic products and market them in India and the overseas markets, he said a multi-State cooperative would be set up under the leadership of Amul, adding that the multi-State cooperatives for seed and organic products would be established in the next two months.
Taking the Indian economy as a whole, the Minister opined, not only was mass production necessary, but the production by masses was also necessary. “This can be possible only through the cooperative model,” he asserted.
Additionally, NCDC should also be the first contributor of equity in the proposed umbrella organisation of Urban Cooperative Bank.
