Shah promises New Co-op Policy & Co-op in every panchayat

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah addressed the ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation) program on the occasion of the 102nd International Day of Cooperatives in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Shah emphasized the significance of making cooperatives a robust pillar to bring facilities, prosperity, and self-confidence to millions of poor people across the country.

On this occasion, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Cooperation Minister Jagdish Vishwakarma, Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Deputy Speaker Jethabhai Ahir, IFFCO Chairman Dileepbhai Sanghani, ICA-AP Chairman Chandra Pal Singh, GH Amin, Jyotindra Mehta, Konduru Ravinder Rao, Union Ministry of Cooperation Secretary Ashish Bhutani were present.

The other cooperators, Dr U S Awasthi, Dollar Kotecha, Meenesh Shah, Shamalbhai Patel, Vamalji Humbal, Vishal Singh, Laxmi Das, Milind Kale and others were also on the dais. The hall was packed with the who’s who of the cooperative movement  on this occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah expressed confidence that by the time the International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated in 2029, every Panchayat in the country will have a PACS. He highlighted that this day holds special importance for those involved in the cooperative sector. He reminded that Prime Minister Modi had established an independent Ministry of Cooperation. Shah also praised the Government of Gujarat’s decision to announce a 50 percent subsidy on Nano-Urea and Nano-DAP, which benefits farmers by requiring only a single application, saving on additional urea during the crop’s growth.

Shah highlighted the cooperative sector’s contributions: 20 percent in agricultural loan distribution, 35 percent in fertilizers, 21 percent in production, 31 percent in sugar production, 13 percent in wheat purchase, and 20 percent in paddy purchase, underscoring its vital role in the rural and agricultural economy. Shah stressed the need to build a strong foundation of cooperation over the next five years to ensure it reaches every village and household for the next 125 years.

Shah announced two new schemes introduced by the Modi government through cooperatives: promoting Ethanol and benefiting maize farmers. He said that the government has arranged for two major cooperative institutions to purchase maize at the minimum support price (MSP) online to produce Ethanol. Additionally, NAFED and Consumer cooperative institutions will procure four types of pulses at 100 percent MSP.

Shah urged ‘Cooperation among Cooperative’ institutions to conduct all economic transactions within the cooperative sector to minimize external financial dependencies. He also called on NABARD and all State Cooperative Banks to ensure every PACS and other cooperative institutions open accounts in District or State Cooperative Banks to strengthen the sector and increase capital and confidence.

Shah outlined the government’s target of ensuring that every state and district in the country has a viable district cooperative bank and a viable district milk producer union. Over the next five years, efforts will focus on creating multipurpose PACS in two lakh panchayats.

Despite PACS being a state subject, Shah noted that model bylaws have been accepted across states from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Assam to Dwarka. He added that out of 65,000 functional PACS in the country, 48,000 have initiated steps to become viable by adding new activities.

Shah referred to the formation of three multi-state cooperative institutions – Organic Coop, Export Coop, and Seed Coop. He also mentioned that the government will soon introduce a National Cooperative Policy. Furthermore, Shah highlighted that 1,100 new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have been established, more than 1 lakh PACS have accepted new bylaws, and bonds worth Rs 2000 crore issued to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will support more cooperative institutions.

 He also pointed out the urban cooperative banks’ targets of opening new branches, doubling the personal housing loan limit, increasing income tax benefits, and raising the cash withdrawal limit. Prime Minister Modi’s enactment of a law canceling the Rs 15000 crore income tax liability of sugar cooperative mills was also mentioned.

Addressing the participants, IFFCO and NCUI Chairman Dileepbhai Sanghani wished all  a happy international day of cooperatives and thanked one and all for becoming a part of this mega event,  Sanghani remarked.

“The separate ministry of cooperation has proved to be a game changer for the cooperative movement and the ministry is led by our beloved leader Amit Shah. Many new things have happened in this sector with the formation of the ministry”, he added.

He further said, “The dream of making India, the third largest economy in the world with a GDP of 5 trillion dollar economy in the next three years, can be achieved through the cooperative movement”. Sanghani emphasized

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel talked about the importance of the  International Day of Cooperatives and the initiatives taken by the union ministry of cooperation in the interest of PACS. He also appealed to the farmers of the state to move towards natural farming, the chief  minister  mentioned.

Gujarat Urban Cooperative Banks Federation Chairman Jyotindra Mehta proposed a vote of thanks on this occasion.