The National Level Policy Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, recently met to finalize the roadmap for the National Cooperation Policy-2025. Aimed at realizing the vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation), the policy focuses on institutional strengthening, digital transformation, and expanding the socio-economic footprint of cooperatives.
Strategic Targets and Objectives
- Membership Goal: Expand total cooperative membership to 50 crore by 2035.
- Economic Impact: Triple the cooperative sector’s contribution to the national GDP by 2035.
- Inclusivity: Implement targeted administrative quotas and training to boost the participation of women and youth as rural entrepreneurs.
- Governance: Mandate regular elections, professional management, and independent auditing to ensure functional autonomy.
- Digitalization: Deploy a national database of cooperatives and complete the computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) for real-time synchronization.
Transformation of PACS
PACS, the grassroots level of the three-tier cooperative credit structure, are being repurposed as multipurpose centers. They will now diversify beyond credit delivery to provide:
- Services: Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Common Service Centers (CSCs), and cold storage/warehousing.
- Infrastructure: Custom hiring centers for agricultural machinery and LPG/fuel distributorships.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- Ministry: Established in July 2021 to provide a dedicated framework for the cooperative movement.
- Constitutional Status:
- 97th Amendment Act, 2011: Made the formation of cooperatives a Fundamental Right under Article 19(1)(c).
- Inserted Article 43B (DPSP) and Part IXB into the Constitution.
- Seventh Schedule: Cooperative Societies are a State Subject (Entry 32, List II); Multi-State Cooperative Societies are a Union Subject (Entry 44, List I).
- Framework: Guided by the Suresh Prabhu Committee recommendations.