National Conference on Cooperation Policy

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13-Apr-2022: Two-day National Conference on Cooperation Policy concludes

Government of India, under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had carved out a new Ministry of Cooperation on 06th July 2021 with the objective to provide renewed impetus to the growth of Cooperative Sector and realization of vision from Cooperation to Prosperity. Under the dynamic leadership of Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah, Ministry is working incessantly for development of cooperative sector for formulation of new Schemes and the new Cooperation Policy.

In this background, a two-day National Conference on Cooperation Policy was organized at New Delhi on 12-13 April, 2022. The conference was inaugurated by Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah. Minister of State for Cooperation, Shri B. L. Varma also graced the occasion with his presence.

More than two dozen Central Ministries represented by Secretaries and Joint Secretaries, 36 State Governments and Union Territories represented by their Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Registrar Cooperatives and heads of around 40 Cooperatives and other major National Institutions and organizations participated on this conference and shared their valuable views on this event.

Further, this conference was structured into six important themes covering not only whole life cycle of cooperatives but also touching upon all the facets of their business and governance. The panel discussions have been held on following themes:

  1. Present legal framework, identification of Regulatory policy, Operational barriers and measures required for their removal leading to Ease of Doing Business and providing a level playing field to cooperatives and other economic entities. This session had been chaired by Dr. G.R. Chintala, Chairman, NABARD and Shri TVSN Prasad, Addl. Chief Secretary, Govt. of Haryana along with Sh. BL Meena, Addl. Chief Secretary, Govt. Of Uttar Pradesh have cochaired.
  2. Reforms for strengthening governance including cooperative principles, democratic member control, increasing member participation, transparency, regular elections, HR Policy, leveraging International & National best practices, account keeping & auditing. This session had been chaired by Sh. Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Dept of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GoI, and Sh. Maninder Singh, Addl. Chief Secretary (Coop), Govt. of Assam along with Sh. Anoop Kumar, Addl. Chief Secretary (Coop), Govt. of Maharashtra had co-chaired the session.
  3. Multi Cooperative Vibrant economic entities by strengthening infrastructure, strengthening equity base, access to capital, diversification of activities, promoting entrepreneurship, promoting branding, marketing, business plan development, innovation, technology adoption and exports. This session had been chaired by Shri Upendra Prasad Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Textile, GoI and Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Rural Development, GoI along with Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME, GoI have cochaired.
  4. Training, Education, knowledge sharing and Awareness Building including mainstreaming cooperatives, linking training with entrepreneurship, inclusion of Women, Youth & Weaker Sections. This session had been chaired by Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General, ICAR along with Shri P. Vaiphei, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Manipur and Dr. Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA, Gujarat had co-chaired the session.
  5. Promoting new cooperatives, revitalising defunct ones, promoting cooperation among cooperatives, increasing membership, formalising collectives, developing cooperatives for       sustainable growth, mitigating regional imbalances & exploring new sectors. This session had been chaired by Shri K.V. Shaji Deputy MD NABARD.
  6. Promoting social cooperative and role of cooperatives in social security. This session had been chaired by Dr. Ashok Dalwai, CEO, NRAA, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India.

Minister of State for Cooperation and DONER, Shri B. L. Verma had concluded the conference by giving thanks to all the stakeholders who have attended this two days National Conference on Cooperation Policy and stated that these efforts will culminate in formulation of a new robust National Cooperation Policy giving impetus to strengthen cooperative based economic model in the country to realize the mantra of Sahakar Se Samriddhi.

12-Apr-2022: Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed National Conference on Cooperative Policy in New Delhi

Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah addressed the National Conference on Cooperative Policy in New Delhi today. Minister of State for Cooperation, Shri B.L. Verma and Secretary Ministry of Cooperation, Shri Devendra Kumar Singh were amongst several other dignitaries present at the event.

On this occasion, Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that this two day seminar has been organized to discuss the new cooperative policy. July 6, 2021 is important day for cooperative sector as long pending demand of the sector was recognized through the creation of Ministry of Cooperation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Modi has set the goal of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' for the cooperative sector. He said that the concept of cooperatives is centuries old in India. In India, work on the principles of cooperation has been taking place in every sector. As per the law, cooperatives have been in India for the past 100 to 125 years. Cooperatives played a very big role In creating an economic model for rural development and providing employment to the poor people, so that they can live a dignified life.

Shri Amit Shah said that immediately after independence, especially with the efforts of Sardar Patel, the cooperative movement received a big boost. But in the course of time, it was observed that since about the 1960 and 1970s, there has been a stagnation in the cooperative movement and also a decline. This decline was seen in many states. Every village in developed states must have PACS, milk cooperative markets, credit societies or cooperative banks, and there should be no area where cooperatives cannot reach. Aspire to take developed states towards saturation, develop the developing states and to create a strategy to take backward states directly into the category of developed states.

The Union Minister for Cooperation said equitable distribution of profits can be done only by cooperatives, profits go to stakeholders and expenditure on management is minimal, this can happen only through cooperatives. A very large part of the country that  is economically backward, cooperative is the only model that can make 80 crore people financially prosperous. The sector has seen experiments and their good results, be it Lijjat, Amul or the milk cooperatives of Karnataka.

Shri Amit Shah said we have to prepare the cooperative movement for the challenges of the present, remove stagnation, bring changes and transparency, only then small farmers will have increased trust in cooperatives. Democratic values as per the law have to be accepted in elections in cooperatives, it is only then that possibilities will have an environment to grow, no region can progress without possibilities. We have to accept professionalism and embrace corporate governance principles with a cooperative spirit. There are many models like IFFCO, Amul which have also kept the spirit of cooperative intact while following the footsteps of corporate governance.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said There are about 8.55 lakh cooperatives today, 1.77 lakh are credit societies, another 7 lakh are cooperative societies, 17 national level cooperative unions, 33 state cooperative banks, there are more than 63,000 active PACS and more than 12 crore members and around 91 percent villages have presence of cooperatives. This shows that we have a strong foundation on which we can build a structure.

Shri Amit Shah said that we have a strong base and impediments have to be removed by developing new provisions, new policy and harmonization and this can happen only if a co-operative policy is developed to meet today’s needs in a holistic manner. A complete updated cooperative policy that will address the needs of the sector from PACS to APACS will be placed before the nation in 8-9 months and will help to create an environment in which cooperatives can expand. In this, new dimensions and areas can be connected only with the spirit of TEAM, which means: T for Transparency, E for Empowerment, A for Aatmanirbhar and M  for Modernization. Computerization of the cooperative sector along with modernization and professionalism will also have to be brought into the working of large cooperative societies.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said the Cooperation Ministry does not wish to decide the objectives of the new cooperative policy, and wants to leave it open. In a couple of days, the ministry will invite suggestions on the cooperative policy on the website of the Cooperation Ministry, responses to which can be sent in all languages. He said those running rural cooperative societies and small cooperative banks face problems. Perhaps their suggestions may not be useful in preparing the cooperative policy, but obstacles faced by cooperatives have to be removed. If these two issues are addressed in the same exercise, then it should be done.

Shri Amit Shah said that in the new Cooperation Policy  - free registration, transparency, coordination in cooperatives, effort to bring equality through dialogue between the laws of the states, exploring new dimensions, reaching every village, creating credit societies, doubling farmers’ incomes and provisions of making cooperative institutions financially strong  will be incorporated in new Cooperation Policy. He said he was placing these points at today’s conference. A perfect and suitable cooperative policy has to be developed, only then can we make the more than the expected contribution to the national economy, to realise the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of achieving a US $ 5 trillion economy and doubling farmers' income, Shri Shah said.

The Union Cooperation Minister said that the leaders of our cooperative movement will have to go to every district with this spirit. New hope has to be instilled in them, their activities have to be re-energised. Shri Shah assured the conference that as a cooperative sector worker, he is also ready to work shoulder to shoulder with others in the sector. He said a base has been formed and now greater momentum in the activities of this ministry will be witnessed. This spirit has to be conveyed to the PACS and their members.

The Union Minister for Cooperation said that today six topics have been taken up during the discussions and all of them are included in the nine points mentioned in the beginning. The end result which will emerge after the brainstorming at this two-day discussion, in the making of a new policy. Suggestions are being invited from persons associated with cooperatives in all local languages ​​from across the country. Shri Amit Shah urged the delegates at the conference to take this initiative to all cooperative societies in their States so that even those running small village societies can also give suggestions. The Minister said he strongly felt that having a bottom up approach and including suggestions coming from rural milk producer societies and PACS only would make an equitable and all-encompassing and cooperative policy in accordance to the needs of the times. He said we will be able to fulfill the expectations of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, that he has placed on the cooperative sector and the cooperative sector will definitely become the third model of economic development.

8-Apr-2022: Two-day National Conference on Cooperation Policy being organized in New Delhi on 12-13 April

Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and to provide renewed impetus to the growth of the cooperative sector and realization of the vision from Cooperation to Prosperity, a new Ministry of Cooperation has been created on 06th July 2021.Under the dynamic leadership of the Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah, the Cooperation Ministry has been working incessantly for development of the cooperative sector for formulation of new schemes and a new Cooperation Policy.

Digitization of PACS, creation of National Database of Cooperative Societies, a scheme for Cooperative Education & Training and an umbrella scheme named “Sahakar Se Samriddhi” are amongst many such initiatives taken by the Ministry to deepen and strengthen the cooperative movement in the country. The Ministry of Cooperation is also formulating a new National Cooperation Policy which may address the new economic and social realities.

In this background, a two-day National Conference on Cooperation Policy is being organized in New Delhi on 12-13 April, 2022. The conference will be inaugurated by the Union Home & Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah. The Minister of State for Cooperation, Shri B. L. Varma will also grace the occasion.

More than two dozen Central Ministries represented by Secretaries and Joint Secretaries, all State Governments and Union Territories represented by their Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Registrar Cooperatives and heads of around 40 Cooperative and other major National Institutions will participate in this conference. This conference is structured into following six important themes covering not only whole life cycle of cooperatives, but also touching upon all facets of their business and governance:

  1. Present legal framework, identification of regulatory policy, operational barriers and measures required for their removal, leading to Ease of Doing Business and providing a level playing field to cooperatives and other economic entities.
  2. Reforms for strengthening governance including cooperative principles, democratic member control, increasing member participation, transparency, regular elections, HR Policy, leveraging International and National best practices, account keeping & auditing.
  3. Making cooperatives vibrant economic entities by strengthening infrastructure, strengthening equity base, access to capital, diversification of activities, promoting entrepreneurship, promoting Branding, Marketing, Business plan development, innovation, technology adoption and exports.
  4. Training, Education, knowledge sharing and awareness building including mainstreaming cooperatives, linking training with entrepreneurship, inclusion of Women, Youth & Weaker  Sections.
  5. Promoting new cooperatives, revitalizing defunct ones, promoting cooperation among cooperatives, increasing membership, formalizing collectives, developing cooperatives for sustainable growth, mitigating regional imbalances and exploring new sectors
  6. Promoting social cooperatives and role of cooperatives in social security.

Under the guidance of the Union Home & Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah the Ministry is going to organize a series of such conferences with different stake holders, this being the first. Shortly, another workshop is proposed with all Cooperative Federations to invite their views. These efforts will culminate in the formulation of a new robust National Cooperation Policy, giving impetus to strengthen the cooperative based economic model in the country to realize the vision and mantra of Sahakar Se Samriddhi, of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.