Union Minister of State for Cooperatives Shri B.L. was present. Verma said that Gujarat is synonymous with cooperative movement. Speaking on the occasion, he wished all the students who have obtained degree in Agricultural Marketing from the Institute, a very successful career and expressed confidence that they will set new benchmarks in enriching the agriculture and cooperative sector of the country.
Emphasizing on the importance of the vast cooperative sector of the country, the Minister said that cooperative is a social system, the objective of which is to connect every person in the society with economic development. Realizing the potential for growth in this area of ​​cooperation, two years ago today Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi envisioned ‘Prosperity through Cooperation’ and the Ministry of Cooperation was established. This Ministry is working under the leadership of the Union Home Minister and the country’s first Cooperative Minister Shri Amitbhai Shah to bring a positive change in the lives of the people associated with this sector and to fulfill the dream of the Prime Minister.
The cooperative sector is the backbone of the country’s economy. Today about 29 crore members of the country are directly associated with about 8 lakh cooperative societies. To give a new impetus to the development of the cooperative sector in the country, PACs are being formed at the village and panchayat level and a National Cooperative Database of such PACs is also being prepared to bring transparency. Currently around 63,000 such packs/lamps have been linked to NABARD using this database at the national level. He also said that there is a plan to form two lakh new committees in the next five years, including formation of Pax, Dairy, Fisheries Cooperative Society at Panchayat and village level.
He said that India is the third largest producer of food grains in the world, but the Prime Minister has implemented the Anna Bhandaran Yojana so that the farmers of the country do not waste their ripe grains. In order to fulfill the Prime Minister’s dream of doubling the income of the country’s farmers, new farmer producer org.zations will also be formed through PECs. For this, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is also planning to form 1100 new FPOs in the cooperative sector. With which about 13 crore farmers will be connected.
Similarly, Jan Aushadhi Kendras started to ensure that every citizen of the country gets medicines at reasonable prices are also being started under PAC and this number is going to be increased in future. Apart from this, national level multi-state cooperative seed, export and org.c committees are also being formed.
He congratulated the Udaybhansinhji Regional Institute of Management for giving a new direction to the youth for agricultural marketing, highlighting the need for skilled and professional manpower in the country.
Dilipbhai Sangh., President, National Cooperative Federation and Chairman, IFFCO, present on the occasion, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initially announced to start a separate cooperative ministry at the central level on the occasion of Amrit Mahotsav. 75th year of the country’s independence. The country’s first Cooperative Minister Amitbhai Shah has realized his dream of ‘prosperity through cooperation’. After the formation of this department, the progress of cooperative sector has become more rapid. Gujarat’s cooperative model is an inspiration for the whole country. For this, he considered Mahatma Gandhi’s Sarvodaya and Sardar Patel’s cooperative movement as the basis.
Recalling the indigenous movement of Mahatma Gandhi, he said that indigenous products were given priority. That’s why today more than 3000 foreign comp.es are coming to do business in India with the help of WTO. Due to which the demand for indigenous products will increase and people will also get employment. He said that today India occupies a leading position in the field of cooperation in the world. Today four of the 300 largest cooperatives in the world are from India.
NCCT Secretary Mohankumar Mishra while motivating the students said that today they are celebrating the fruits of years of hard work. Pointing to the vast opportunities in the country’s cooperative sector, he said the Government of India had launched a visionary initiative ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’ two years ago by setting up a new Ministry of Cooperatives. This is India Vision-2047 of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Bhai Modi. It has presented the roadmap for the progress and development of the nation for the next two decades. It emphasizes that every citizen is equal and has equal opportunities to contribute to the growth and development of the nation. Cooperation sector will play an important role in taking the country forward in this direction.
