Amit Shah Chairs Cooperation for Prosperity Meeting in Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar, February 17: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah presided over a ‘brainstorming meeting’ with cooperation ministers from all states and union territories in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday. This meeting was part of the ‘Cooperation for Prosperity’ initiative.

During the event, Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation for projects worth ₹265 crore related to ethanol, energy, organic potash, warehousing, and protein powder plants.

The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar, Murli Dhar Mohol, the Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, and several other dignitaries. Shah also released a report based on ‘best practices’ in the cooperative sector and the International Year of Cooperatives, along with observing an exhibition.

In his address, Shah highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s leadership, the country is making rapid progress in all sectors. He mentioned India’s achievements in solar energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications, asserting that India will also rank among the top nations in defense in the coming years.

Shah emphasized that the goal of making India a fully developed nation by 2047 cannot be achieved solely through economic metrics. It requires ensuring a dignified life for 1.4 billion people, where cooperation plays a crucial role.

He stated that comprehensive development of the country is not possible without strengthening agriculture, rural development, and animal husbandry. Shah noted that efforts to advance the cooperative sector scientifically over the past four years are now yielding positive results.

The Union Minister stressed four key areas for strengthening cooperation. Regarding grain storage, he pointed out that the current storage capacity in the country is about 30% of grain production, which needs to be tripled. He urged states to construct large warehouses and enhance the storage system.

On circularity and ethanol, he suggested revitalizing closed sugar mills and adopting multi-product models such as ethanol, fertilizers, and gas. He mentioned that a nationally established cooperative organization would assist mills in diversifying their products.

Additionally, he proposed that every primary agricultural credit society should become an agent of IFFCO-Tokyo Insurance Company, allowing the cooperative sector to play a significant role in insurance.

Discussing ‘Cooperation in Cooperation,’ Shah recommended that all cooperative institutions should maintain their bank accounts in district cooperative banks. He suggested that cooperative banks could be designated as nodal agencies for government schemes.

He also announced plans to establish cooperatives for daily wage workers, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians to ensure they receive fair wages and respect. Shah projected that over 40% of the country’s population could be involved in cooperatives in the future.

The meeting reviewed the progress of establishing 200,000 new multi-purpose primary agricultural cooperative societies, dairy, and fishery cooperatives. It also discussed the expansion of a modern warehouse network under the world’s largest grain storage program.

Emphasis was placed on increasing states’ active participation in national cooperative institutions such as National Cooperative Export Limited, National Cooperative Organic Limited, and Indian Seed Cooperative Limited.

Furthermore, discussions included the economic strengthening of cooperative sugar mills, sustainability in the dairy sector, the formation of new dairy cooperatives with the support of Amul and NDDB, addressing challenges related to cooperative banks, and digitalization.

Expectations were shared with states regarding the better utilization of the national cooperative database, human resource development, training, and effective implementation of the National Cooperative Development Corporation’s plans.