NEW DELHI, April 6, 2026 — A national drive to transform India’s cooperative landscape gathered pace following a high-level conclave at Vigyan Bhawan, which brought together policymakers, experts and sector leaders to fast-track implementation of the National Cooperation Policy 2025.
The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Cooperation and Tribhuvan Sahkari University, focused on translating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” into tangible results at the grassroots level.
Deliberations underscored the government’s ambition to position cooperatives as a second engine of national growth, complementing both the private and public sectors.
Addressing participants, Krishan Pal Gurjar highlighted the historic role of cooperatives in empowering rural communities, noting that the new policy offers a forward-looking roadmap aligned with India’s evolving economic aspirations.
He said the framework is designed to accelerate inclusive development, revitalise rural economies and contribute meaningfully to the country’s goal of achieving developed nation status by 2047.
The policy follows an extensive nationwide consultation process, including 17 meetings and four regional workshops conducted by a 48-member committee. Its key pillars include strengthening grassroots institutions, expanding cooperative structures, promoting professionalism and transparency, enhancing member participation, and encouraging greater youth involvement.
States are also being urged to formulate their own cooperation policies in line with national objectives to deepen the movement.
The Ministry of Cooperation, under Home Minister Amit Shah, has already launched several reforms aligned with the policy. These include transforming Primary Agricultural Credit Societies [PACS] into multi-functional economic units capable of undertaking more than 25 activities, establishing a national cooperative university, and rolling out initiatives such as a National Cooperative Database and a Cooperative Ranking Framework. New ventures, including Bharat Taxi, are also being promoted to expand cooperative participation into emerging sectors.
A key focus of the conclave was the modernisation and digitisation of PACS. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary at the Ministry of Cooperation, said more than 80,000 PACS are being computerised to improve efficiency and reposition them as business-oriented entities.
He added that decentralised storage at the PACS level is being prioritised to improve price realisation for farmers, reduce post-harvest losses and cut logistics costs, thereby strengthening rural supply chains.
Experts highlighted the untapped potential of cooperatives in driving economic growth. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, outlined strategies to triple the sector’s contribution to the economy, describing cooperatives as a powerful vehicle for inclusive and sustainable development.
Satish Marathe said the cooperative model remains one of the most effective mechanisms for delivering affordable credit to underserved and rural communities.
The conclave also featured thematic sessions on digital public infrastructure, strengthening PACS as engines of growth, member education, women and youth participation, leadership in organic markets, and cooperative credit systems. Breakout discussions generated practical recommendations aimed at ensuring timely and effective implementation of the policy across states.
Overall, participants expressed strong consensus on leveraging technology, improving governance and expanding the scope of cooperatives to make them more competitive and people-centred.
The conclave is expected to act as a catalyst for accelerating the rollout of the National Cooperation Policy 2025, reinforcing cooperatives as a key pillar of India’s development strategy and advancing the vision of inclusive prosperity through collective effort.
