National Review Meet on Cooperatives Held in Shillong
Shillong, April 11: Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, inaugurated the two-day National Level Review Meeting held in Shillong, Meghalaya, on April 10–11. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the country to review initiatives and formulate strategies aimed at strengthening and modernizing India’s cooperative sector.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. Bhutani emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to promoting cooperative-led economic growth, guided by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah. He underlined the importance of robust inter-state cooperation to realize the goal of “Sahakar Se Samriddhi”.
Highlighting a key reform, Dr. Bhutani called for the collation of PAN numbers of all cooperative societies across India to ensure their accurate reflection in the national GDP and policymaking.
Among the flagship initiatives discussed was White Revolution 2.0, aimed at rural upliftment through the expansion of the dairy sector. Dr. Bhutani noted the transformative potential of dairy in empowering women and enhancing child nutrition. He also mentioned collaborations with Amul and NDDB to develop dairy infrastructure in states like Assam, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
A major announcement during the meeting was the passing of a bill to establish Tribhuvan Sahkari University, envisioned as India’s first cooperative university. The institution will help standardize cooperative education and uplift over 250 existing cooperative institutions nationwide.
As part of the event, Dr. Bhutani and the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya participated in a tree plantation drive under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative, commemorating the International Year of Cooperatives 2025.
The Review Meeting convened representatives from State and Union Territory governments, cooperative federations, financial institutions, and policymakers. The discussions focused on knowledge exchange, strategic alignment, and implementation of innovative practices.
State-level review sessions highlighted the role of key national cooperative institutions such as NCEL, NCOL, BBSSL, NCCF, and NAFED in driving innovation and inclusivity in the cooperative ecosystem.
Dr. Umakant Dash, Director of IRMA (Anand, Gujarat), presented the vision and proposed structure of Tribhuvan Sahkari University, aligning with the Ministry’s long-term goal of establishing world-class cooperative education and research facilities.
A dedicated workshop on the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 delved into benchmarking cooperative societies, impact assessments, and drafting a Business Reform Action Plan for the next fiscal year. Delegates from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand shared best practices in cooperative development.
The two-day event also addressed key action areas including:
- Expansion of banking access for cooperative societies through doorstep micro-ATM services.
- Provision of zero-interest loans via RuPay Kisan Credit Cards to members of PACS and other cooperative institutions.
- Time-bound creation of Multi-Purpose Agriculture Cooperative Societies (MPACS), along with dairy and fishery cooperatives.
- Development of a Grain Storage Plan and digital transformation of PACS and Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accessibility.
- A comprehensive review of NCDC schemes and alignment with national development goals.
The meeting underscored the Ministry’s holistic approach to empowering cooperatives as engines of inclusive growth and rural prosperity.
