Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on March 6, 2025, to assess the progress of India's cooperative sector. The discussions centered on transforming the sector through technology, increasing youth and women participation, and strengthening cooperative organizations under the vision of "Sahkar Se Samruddhi."
During the meeting, the Prime Minister highlighted the necessity of global partnerships to strengthen the cooperative movement. He underscored the importance of promoting organic products through cooperative networks and expanding their reach into export markets. Additionally, he suggested developing a soil testing model through cooperatives to enhance agricultural productivity.
A key agenda of the meeting was the integration of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with RuPay Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to enhance financial transactions within cooperatives. He stressed the necessity of fostering healthy competition among cooperative entities and ensuring transparency by documenting their assets. Additionally, he advocated for cooperative farming as a sustainable agricultural model and recommended leveraging digital public infrastructure (Agristack) to improve access to services for farmers.
Education and awareness about cooperatives were also focal points of the discussion. PM Modi proposed introducing cooperative studies in schools, colleges, and prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). He suggested ranking cooperative organizations based on performance to promote excellence and encouraged young graduates to actively contribute to the sector’s growth.
During the meeting, officials briefed PM Modi on the draft National Cooperation Policy 2025, formulated through extensive consultations. The policy aims to systematically develop the cooperative sector, accelerate rural economic progress, and empower women and youth. It also seeks to establish a strong legal and institutional framework, ensuring cooperatives play a more significant role in national development.
Since its inception, the Ministry of Cooperation has implemented 60 initiatives across seven key areas to strengthen the cooperative movement. These include digitizing cooperative institutions, modernizing Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and enhancing the efficiency of cooperative sugar mills. The government has adopted a "whole of government approach," integrating over 15 schemes from 10 ministries at the PACS level. This has led to business diversification, increased income for cooperatives, and better accessibility to government schemes in rural areas.
A significant move toward cooperative education was the introduction of a Bill in Parliament to convert Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) into "Tribhuvan Cooperative University," designating it as an Institution of National Importance.
The meeting highlighted the cooperative sector's vast contribution to India’s economy, particularly in agriculture and rural development. With over 8.2 lakh cooperative institutions operating across 30 sectors and a membership exceeding 30 crore individuals, cooperatives play a crucial role in economic inclusion and nation-building.
Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Principal Secretary to the PM Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary-2 Shaktikanta Das, Advisor to PM Amit Khare, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
