Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has announced that the Centre aims to set up a cooperative bank and a milk producers’ union in every district of the country. Additionally, the government plans to establish multipurpose primary agriculture credit societies (PACS) in 200,000 panchayats lacking cooperative institutions over the next five years.
Speaking at the ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation) event commemorating the 102nd International Day of Cooperatives, Shah expressed gratitude to the Gujarat government for its 50% subsidy on nano-urea and nano-DAP, highlighting their potential to boost production and conserve soil health.
Shah emphasized the cooperative sector’s vital role in the rural and agricultural economies, calling for enhanced cooperation among cooperative institutions. “The Union Ministry of Cooperation has initiated several key measures. We aim to ensure that every state and district has a viable district cooperative bank and milk producers’ union,” he stated.
He noted that approximately 200,000 panchayats in India currently lack cooperative institutions. “In the next five years, we will work to establish multipurpose PACS in these panchayats,” Shah said. He also revealed that a National Cooperative Policy will be introduced soon, with 1,100 new Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) already formed and over 100,000 PACS adopting new bylaws.
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will support more cooperative institutions through the issuance of ₹2,000 crore worth of bonds. Shah urged the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and state cooperative banks to facilitate PACS and other cooperative institutions in opening accounts at district or state cooperative banks, thereby strengthening the sector and boosting capital and confidence.
The Union government has established the National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL) to promote organic products and ensure fair prices for farmers practicing organic farming. Shah highlighted the launch of Bharat Organic Atta by NCOL and the opening of an Amul organic products shop in Delhi. “Both Bharat Organic and Amul are reliable and 100% organic brands. The Bharat brand stamp is affixed to organic products only after rigorous testing using the world’s most advanced technology,” he said.
Shah also announced that the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and consumer cooperative institutions would procure four types of pulses at 100% MSP. The government has formed three multi-state cooperative institutions—the Organic Committee, Export Committee, and Seed Committee—to improve farmers’ lives.
“The mantra of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to bring confidence, happiness, and prosperity to the lives of 300 million people who remain marginalized even after 75 years of independence,” Shah asserted.
Inaugurating the first exclusive Amul organic shop in Mayur Vihar, Delhi, Shah praised Amul’s leadership in promoting organic farming and producing health-focused organic products.
Later, Shah visited a cooperative pilot project in Mahuliya village, Panchmahal district, after distributing Rupay credit cards with 0% interest to women dairy farmers in Changda village, Banaskantha. He was also scheduled to meet the chairpersons of state district cooperative banks and dairy cooperatives at Panchamrut Dairy in Godhra.