(MOREPIC1) Raj Sadosh/Abohar
Dileep Sanghani, President, NCUI & IFFCO, Former Minister, Gujarat has said that Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has left no stone unturned in realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”.
He said that to call this the second revolution in India’s cooperative movement would not be an exaggeration. During this period, more than 60 critical initiatives have been rolled out.
“The Ministry’s relentless efforts under Shri Shah in creating a database of cooperative societies are highly praiseworthy. Reforms have been implemented across the spectrum, from model by-laws to apex organizations. A target has been set to establish an additional 200,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies), including agriculture, dairy, fisheries, and salt PACS, to expand the reach of cooperation to every village in the country.”
To ensure transparency and efficiency in cooperatives, the computerization of PACS has been fast-tracked. Shri Shah has spearheaded the revival of cooperatives in collaboration with states. Obsolete cooperative laws have been suitably amended, and new provisions introduced.
(SUBHEAD)Sanghani said that as part of legal reforms in the cooperative sector, necessary amendments have been made to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act. A separate Central Cooperative Election Authority has been established to oversee elections in cooperatives.
“In a notable step to ease farmers’ challenges, the Ministry of Cooperation has empowered cooperative societies to procure farmers’ produce at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Cooperative organizations like NAFED and NCCF are now ensuring MSP-based procurement of pulses and oilseeds.”
He said that over the past four years, the Ministry of Cooperation has undertaken more than 60 landmark initiatives, benefiting cooperative societies across the country. India has a rich and impactful tradition of cooperative movements. Today, there are over 850,000 cooperative societies in the country, with approximately 290 million members, are actively engaged in agricultural production, rural finance, housing, marketing, consumer services, the dairy sector, fisheries, and other industries.
