Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced on September 6 the constitution of a national level committee for drafting of the national cooperation policy document. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a new national cooperative policy is being developed to realise the vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi.’
The national level committee, chaired by former Union Cabinet Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, is made up of 47 members from all over the country. It is made up of cooperative sector experts, representatives from National, State, District, and Primary Cooperative Societies, Secretaries (Cooperation) and Registrars of Cooperative Societies of States and Union Territories, and officers from Central Ministries and Departments.
National cooperation policy will be prepared soon
The Union Home Minister recently announced that a national cooperation policy will be prepared soon, with a holistic approach beginning with Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) and progressing upwards.
The current national cooperative policy was developed in 2002 with the goals of facilitating cooperative development on all levels and providing the necessary support, encouragement, and assistance to cooperatives in order to ensure that cooperatives function as autonomous, self-sufficient, democratically managed institutions accountable to their members and make a significant contribution to the national economy.
“Today, India has around 8.5 lakh co-operative societies with a member base of around 29 crores, spread across the length and breadth of the country. These co-operatives are engaged in varied activities like agro-processing, dairying, fisheries, housing, weaving, credit, marketing, to name a few,” mentions a Cooperation Ministry statement.
Why new national cooperation policy document developed
The new national cooperation policy document is being developed in order to fulfil the mandate assigned to the newly formed Ministry of Cooperation, which includes, among other things, realising the vision of ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi,’ strengthening the cooperative movement in the country and expanding its reach to the grassroots, promoting cooperative-based economic development models, and developing an appropriate policy, legal, and institutional framework to assist cooperatives in realising their goals.
According to the statement, the new policy will help to strengthen the country’s cooperative movement.
