- Amit Shah launches the Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation to cover entire nation like Gujarat
- In our country, cooperatives has been existent as a tradition of our society since the Vedic period and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave ‘a legislative form’ to this tradition and decided to create a separate Ministry of Cooperation for the first time in the country on this day 4 years ago
- Initiatives like 2 lakh new PACS, Cooperative University, National Cooperative Database will greatly strengthen the cooperative movement of the country
- In this International Year of Cooperatives, we have to strongly implement the work of transparency, acceptance of technology and bringing the cooperative member at the center of cooperative institutions
- Shri Amit Shah virtually launched the expansion of Amul Cheese Plant at Kheda and the state-of-the-art Chocolate Plant at Mogar
- Union Minister of Cooperation inaugurates the new office building of NCDFI, Maniben Patel Bhawan in the NDDB office complex and dedicated the Ready to Use Culture Plant
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
ANAND, JULY 6
Stating that in our country, cooperatives have been existent as a tradition of our society since the Vedic period and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave ‘a legislative form’ to this tradition and decided to create a separate Ministry of Cooperation for the first time in the country on this day 4 years ago, Union Minister of Home and Cooperatives Amit Shah on Saturday said Prime Minister Modi breathed new life into more than 8 lakh 40 thousand societies connected with about 31 crore people. He said that from milk to banking, sugar mills to marketing and cash credit to digital payments, today co-operative societies are contributing to the economic development of the country with full potential.
Speaking at an event in Anand to mark the completion of four years of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Shah also announced the formation of Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society that will benefit the salt-producers, or Agariyas (in Gujarati). Shah also hailed Sarhad Dairy Chairman Valamji Humbal for taking the pioneer initiative of setting up the salt cooperative.
The salt producers’ cooperative has been formed by Sarhad Dairy in association with the Amul federation.
Shah said, “In coming days, I am confident that like Amul, it will be a strong cooperative model for our salt producing workers.”
He also said that the Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society, launched on Sunday, will benefit salt workers and grow into a strong cooperative movement, and added that profits from salt production will now go to those who work in the fields.
Gujarat accounts for more than 70% of India’s salt production, with nearly 30% coming from the Little Rann of Kutch.
Amit Shah launched the Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation in Gujarat on Sunday and said that it would benefit the farmers of the country on the lines of Amul.
The multi-state Federation aims to establish a system of organised milk procurement, fair pricing and circular economy in the dairy sector.
“The Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation will work to complete a cycle of organised market, input services, fair purchase of milk, difference in price and circular economy in the dairy sector,” Shah said, adding that on the lines of Amul, it will benefit the farmers of the country.
The event, organised by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF) or Amul, also marked the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Shah also virtually inaugurated the expansion of Dr Verghese Kurien cheese plant in Kheda and chocolate plant in Mogar, projects worth ₹365 crore. He inaugurated the new office building of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) named Maniben Patel Bhawan, located in the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) complex in Anand, and dedicated the Ready-to-Use Culture (RUC) Plant of NDDB built at a cost of ₹45 crore.
He also laid the foundation stone for the new NDDB headquarters building.
During his address, Shah said the Ministry of Cooperatives, created four years ago, has undertaken over 60 initiatives focused on people, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), digital platforms, policy reforms and prosperity. He said that cooperation has existed in Indian society since the Vedic period and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave it legislative backing by creating the ministry, which has given new life to more than 8.4 lakh cooperative societies involving about 31 crore people.
Shah said that the upcoming Tribhuvan Sahkari University has recently been established in the name of Tribhuvan Das Patel and that 2 lakh new PACS, a National Cooperative Database and six new national level cooperative bodies are being set up—three related to grain and three to dairy.
Transparency, technology adoption and member-centric practices are need of the hour for coops: Shah
Shah also called for cooperative institutions to focus on transparency, technology adoption and member-centric practices. He said that without these, cooperative models cannot survive in a competitive environment and urged leaders to make these values part of the work culture during the International Year of Cooperatives.
“The annual turnover of Amul is ₹80,000 crore and it will cross ₹1 lakh crore next year. The profits from this are going directly into the accounts of these 56 lakh sisters. Prosperity is not of an individual but of the entire society, affluence is not of a few rich people but of the poor, labourers and farmers,” Shah said adding that the initiatives have been taken by Prime Minister Modi bearing this in mind.
He said the ten initiatives, launched during the event, including the start of a salt cooperative in Gujarat, will lead to the creation of a strong brand, just as Amul is.
He said, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cooperative sector has seen the registration of 2 lakh primary agricultural credit societies (PACs), the foundation of Tribhuvan, the first national cooperative university, and the creation of three new national cooperatives in the dairy sector.
Follow five ‘P’s – ‘people,’ ‘PACs,’ ‘platforms’ (such as digital), ‘policy,’ and ‘prosperity’ — for it to thrive
Shah urged the sector to follow five ‘P’s – ‘people,’ ‘PACs,’ ‘platforms’ (such as digital), ‘policy,’ and ‘prosperity’ — for it to thrive.
The minister said that four years ago, Modi laid the foundation of the Ministry of Cooperation with the mantra of ‘Prosperity through Cooperation,’ giving a new life to the cooperative system.
He said in the cooperativesministry’s four years, more than 60 initiatives have been taken by the Centre, based on these five ‘P’s.
