- The proposed university will also address the long pending issue of capacity building of employees and board members in the co-operative sector in a pan-India and focused manner
- Amit Shah outlines the university’s benefits, highlighting its ambitious goal to train 8 lakh cooperative professionals annually from the first year
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MAR 26
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, transforming the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) into India’s first cooperative university. The bill, moved by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, was passed by voice vote.
The university has been named after Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel, who was one of the pioneers of cooperative movement in India and instrumental in laying foundation of Amul, Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah said during a debate on the “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University Bill, 2025.
Amit Shah outlined the university’s benefits, highlighting its ambitious goal to train 8 lakh cooperative professionals annually from the first year.
Recognized as an institution of national importance, the university will specialize in technical and management education for cooperatives, aligning with the government’s “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation) vision. It aims to strengthen India’s cooperative movement by integrating IRMA as one of its schools, advancing research, development, and institutional networks.
Amit Shah described the bill as a milestone in India’s cooperative history, ensuring cooperatives can compete with corporates through world-class education and skill development. He emphasized the university’s role in strengthening the rural economy, promoting self-employment, and fostering small enterprises.
“This university will empower cooperatives with specialized knowledge,” Shah stated. “The Modi government’s contributions to the cooperative sector will be remembered in golden letters.”
With a focus on cooperative management, governance, and innovation, the university aims to enhance competitiveness in the sector. It will follow inclusive admission and employment policies, ensuring equal opportunities for all, in line with Central Government reservation policies.
To maintain accountability and high educational standards, the Central Government will oversee operations, appoint a Chancellor, and regulate governance.
The Amul’s journey started in 1946 has transformed into the world’s biggest dairy brand with a turnover of Rs 60,000 crore, he said.
The proposed university will also address the long pending issue of capacity building of employees and board members in the co-operative sector in a pan-India and focused manner.
According to the Bill, the present education and training infrastructure in the co-operative sector is “fragmented and grossly inadequate” to meet the present and future demand for qualified manpower and capacity building of existing employees in co-operative societies.
The bill said it is essential that a comprehensive, integrated and standardised structure is created for education, training and research by establishing a national university to ensure a stable, adequate and quality supply of professionally qualified manpower for different categories of jobs in co-operatives such as managerial, supervisory, administrative, technical and operational.
