Workshop in Udaipur Reviews Cooperative Policy

RR Team

2 days ago

A two-day national-level workshop and review meeting held in Udaipur has provided a comprehensive assessment of cooperative sector reforms being undertaken under the “Sahkar se Samriddhi” vision. Organised by the Ministry of Cooperation on January 8 and 9, the workshop brought together the Centre, States and Union Territories to deliberate on strengthening cooperatives as engines of inclusive growth, rural prosperity and grassroots economic empowerment.

Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has consistently advocated “Sahkar se Samriddhi” as a pathway to people-centric development, the Ministry of Cooperation under the leadership of Union Minister Amit Shah has been pursuing wide-ranging reforms. These reforms aim to strengthen cooperative institutions, improve transparency and expand their economic footprint across the country.

The Udaipur workshop was attended by Secretaries and Registrars of Cooperative Societies from States and Union Territories, along with senior officials and stakeholders from across the cooperative ecosystem. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, in the presence of senior ministry officials and dignitaries. Smt. Anandhi, Secretary (Cooperation), Government of Rajasthan, welcomed the delegates and highlighted Rajasthan’s commitment to cooperative development.

In his keynote address, Dr. Bhutani stressed that the workshop aimed to strengthen coordination between the Centre and States, promote exchange of best practices and encourage innovative approaches to revitalise cooperatives. He noted that for many years cooperatives had remained on the margins and underlined the need to bring them into the mainstream by reshaping public perception and highlighting success stories through traditional and social media.

Citing Banaskantha Dairy as a model example, he explained how a drought-prone district achieved milk production of nearly 90 lakh litres per day through a strong and integrated cooperative value chain. The example, he said, demonstrated the transformative potential of cooperatives when supported by sound governance and policy backing.

The Secretary highlighted key reform areas, including addressing dual regulation of cooperative banks, improving board election processes and encouraging field-level engagement to understand grassroots realities. He also emphasised fostering a culture of consensus-based decision-making and informed participants about ongoing engagement with the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Finance to simplify regulatory frameworks for rural and urban cooperative banks.

Several initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Cooperation were reviewed during the workshop. These included integrating Self-Help Groups with cooperatives, mandating cooperative institutions to open accounts with cooperative banks to enhance low-cost CASA funds, focused support for the North-Eastern Region, and capacity-building initiatives such as the proposed Cooperative University and training programmes in collaboration with LBSNAA, Mussoorie.

A dedicated review session examined progress on flagship initiatives such as the computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Agricultural and Rural Development Banks and offices of Registrars of Cooperative Societies. Participants also reviewed the implementation of schemes including MPACS, Multipurpose Dairy Cooperative Societies and Multipurpose Fishery Cooperative Societies.

Discussions covered the world’s largest grain storage initiative being implemented through PACS, along with the expansion of additional services such as Common Service Centres, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras and PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Cooperative banking reforms and digital initiatives, including National Cooperative Organic Limited, National Cooperative Exports Limited and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited, were also deliberated.

Strengthening the National Cooperative Database and advancing reforms in Multi-State Cooperative Societies formed another key focus area. States shared experiences on API integration, updating financial data for GVA estimation, onboarding cooperatives on GeM, expediting liquidation processes and strengthening governance and e-commerce platforms.

The second day featured a special session titled “Sahkar se Samriddhi – PACS Ahead,” which focused on empowering PACS through targeted initiatives. States shared best practices, including cashless PACS and MIS systems, startup ecosystems for cooperatives, district-specific business plans, model cooperative villages and modern storage and supply-chain integration involving the Food Corporation of India.

Special sessions also highlighted cooperative development in the North-Eastern Region, with presentations from Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and experience sharing under “Sahakar Samvad” with successful cooperatives in fisheries and dairy. In the concluding session, Additional Secretary Pankaj Kumar Bansal chaired discussions on integrating SHGs and FPOs with PACS to strengthen collective outreach.

In his closing address, Dr. Bhutani reiterated that PACS form the backbone of the cooperative system and stressed the urgency of complete computerisation to deepen rural financial inclusion. He noted that the Food Corporation of India has provided rental guarantees to expedite grain storage infrastructure, targeting 5 lakh tonnes by September 2026 and 50 lakh tonnes by September 2027.