NEW DELHI, (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Thursday held a discussion on increasing the participation of youth and women
in cooperatives and emphasised the need for partnerships with global
cooperative organisations to expand the Indian cooperative sector.
Chairing
a high-level meeting here, PM Modi also held discussions on promoting
"Sahkar Se Samruddhi", bringing transformation through technological
advancements and stressed on promoting organic products through cooperative
organisations, according to a PMO statement.
He
suggested focusing on export markets and developing a soil testing model
through cooperatives to improve agricultural practices.
The
Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of integrating UPI with RuPay
KCC cards to facilitate financial transactions and emphasised the need for
healthy competition among cooperative organisations.
Besides,
the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of documenting the assets of
cooperative organisations to ensure transparency. He suggested promoting
cooperative farming as a more sustainable agricultural model and recommended
the use of digital public infrastructure (Agristack) to expand agriculture and
related activities in Cooperative Sector, providing farmers with better access
to services, the statement said.
In
the context of education, the Prime Minister proposed introducing cooperative
courses in schools, colleges, and IIMs, as well as promoting successful
cooperative organisations to inspire future generations. He further added that
young graduates should be encouraged to contribute, and Cooperative
organisations should be ranked based on their performance, so as to promote
competition and growth simultaneously.
During
the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed about the National Cooperation
Policy and key achievements of the Ministry of Cooperation over the past three
and a half years. Realising the vision of 'Sahkar Se Samruddhi’, the Ministry
has formulated a draft of the National Cooperation Policy 2025 through an
extensive consultation process.
The
objective of the National Cooperation Policy 2025 policy is to facilitate the
systematic and holistic development of the cooperative sector, with a focus on
accelerating rural economic development, while prioritising women and youth. It
aims to deepen the grassroots impact of cooperatives and significantly enhance
the contribution to the overall development of the country.
Since
its inception, the Ministry has undertaken 60 initiatives across seven key
areas to promote and strengthen the cooperative movement. These initiatives
include the digitization of cooperative institutions through the National
Cooperative Database and Computerisation Projects, as well as the strengthening
of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). Additionally, the Ministry has
focused on enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of cooperative sugar
mills.
The
Government of India has implemented various schemes for cooperative societies
through a "whole of government approach," integrating over 15 schemes
from more than 10 ministries at the PACS level.
During
the meeting it was highlighted that presently, one-fifth of the country's
population is associated with the cooperative sector, which includes over 8.2
lakh cooperative institutions spanning more than 30 sectors, with a membership
exceeding 30 crore individuals.
The
meeting was attended by Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah; Secretary,
Ministry of Cooperation, Ashish Kumar Bhutani; the Principal Secretary to PM,
P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary-2 to PM, Shaktikanta Das.
