It is time for the cooperative sector to once again earn everyone’s trust by empowering itself according to the needs of the times

Newedelhi:8/9/22:The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah addressed the two-day National Conference of State Cooperation Ministers  in New Delhi today. Several dignitaries including the Minister of State for Cooperation, Shri B.L Verma and Cooperation Ministers of 21 States and Lt. Governors of 2 Union Territories were present in the conference.

In his address, the Union Cooperation Minister said this two-day conference will prove to be a step in the days ahead to take cooperatives to a new level. He said the cooperative movement  in India is about a 125 years old, but if we do not make timely changes in any activity, it becomes out of date and now time has come for the cooperative sector to strengthen itself according to the needs of the times and win everyone’s trust once again. Shri Shah said the Ministry of Cooperation was created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6th July 2021 and in just one year, the Ministry has organized many meetings and conferences in all the related areas of cooperatives. Cooperation is mainly a State subject and our Constitution has left all activities of cooperatives to the States, but in a vast country like India, the entire cooperative movement should follow the same path,  and for this all States have to have common views.

Shri Amit Shah said it is most important to strengthen the PACS to strengthen cooperatives and the government is taking many steps for this. He told the cooperative ministers of the States that everyone together has to inculcate the spirit of Team India in the cooperative sector and that too without politics, as trustees lwill have to move forward to strengthen and develop the cooperative sector in their respective States. If we look at the history of coooeratives in the last 150 years, it is seen that cooperatives have made a proud contribution to India’s economy and it is  a goal that in the next 100 years, Cooperatives must be a part of the Indian economy and make a big contrubution in fulfilling the dream the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of a US $ 5 trillion economy.

The Union Cooperation Minister said now the cooperative movement cannot be treated as a second class citizen. Shri Modi has given this confidence to the entire cooperative sector, but we also have to bring transparency, be accountable, increase efficiency, accept technology, accept professionalism and work hard to take cooperatives to new areas. He said that cooperative is the territory of the States and unless State units prepare themselves for this change, it can never happen. States should adopt these changes and contribute to the road map, only then will cooperatives get strengthened. The Government if India has no objective other than the welfare of crores of poor persons, by making the cooperative sector a strong pillar of the economy in the next 100 years.