100th International Day of Cooperatives: Govt is Empowering Cooperative Sector with Mantra of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi'

The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Amit Shah, will be the Chief Guest at the celebrations of the 100th International Day of Cooperatives, which will be held on July 4 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi and will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, and the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI). The NCUI is India's apex cooperative organization, focusing on cooperative education and training.

"Cooperatives Build a Better World," is the theme of the 100th International Cooperative Day. Given the significance of Atmanirbhar Bharat in creating a better world, the Ministry of Cooperation and NCUI are co-organizing the event under the theme "Cooperatives Build an Atmanirbhar Bharat and a Better World." Atmanirbhar Bharat's fundamental concept and vision are based on the self-sustainable growth of the Indian economy; and India’s cooperative model is aligned with the Government of India’s emphasis on building an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

India has the world's largest cooperative movement. Cooperatives are now pivotal institutions in India, with a network of over 8.5 lakh covering 90 percent of villages, for bringing socioeconomic development for inclusive growth in both rural and urban areas. Some well-known cooperative success stories in India include AMUL, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, and others.

The Union Government established the Ministry of Cooperation in July 2021 to provide proper impetus to the cooperative sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The newly formed Ministry of Cooperation was given to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following its formation, the ministry is developing a new cooperative policy and schemes, and is making continuous progress under the guidance of Amit Shah.

In the cooperative sector, there is enormous potential for the development and empowerment of farmers, agriculture, and rural areas of the country. That is why, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Union government is empowering the cooperative sector with the mantra 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi.'

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with the goal of increasing PACS's efficiency, bringing transparency and accountability to their operations and allowing PACS to diversify their business and undertake multiple activities/services. This project proposes to computerize approximately 63,000 functional PACS over a 5-year period with a total budget outlay of Rs. 2,516 crore.

On July 2, cooperatives around the world will commemorate the 100th International Day of Cooperatives (CoopsDay). This year marks a decade since the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives in 2012, when cooperatives demonstrated their unique contribution by adhering to a human-centered business model inspired by cooperative principles and values. The International Day of Cooperatives aims to raise cooperative awareness and promote the movement's ideals of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace.

Cooperatives employ 10% of the working population, and the top 300 cooperatives or mutuals generate $2,146 billion in revenue. The Union Minister for Dairy and Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala, the Minister of State for Cooperation, B.L. Verma, and the President of the ICA-AP, Dr. Chandra Pal Singh, will also be present. Dileep Sanghani, President of NCUI, will preside over the meeting.