Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who also holds the Cooperation portfolio, lauded India’s cooperative sector for transcending traditional boundaries and emerging as a force of innovation across digital services, finance, healthcare, and agriculture.
Speaking at a United Nations event celebrating the International Year of Cooperatives, Shah emphasised the sector’s evolving role in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future.
“Technological innovation is making cooperatives more inclusive today,” he said. “In India, cooperatives have become a medium for self-reliance and innovation in areas like organic farming, education, energy, and financial inclusion.”
The event, co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of India, Mongolia, and Kenya, was themed ‘Cooperatives and Sustainable Development: Keeping the Momentum and Exploring New Pathways’.
The programme aligned with the UN General Assembly’s 2023 resolution designating 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives, with a vision to amplify their role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, underscored the deep-rooted legacy of cooperation in Indian society, tracing it back to ancient Sanskrit texts. He noted that cooperatives had been a vital pillar of India’s economic journey for over a century.
Amit Shah also highlighted the transformative impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation), which has turned the cooperative movement into a people-centric mission.
“For thousands of years, cooperation has been the soul of Indian values,” HM Shah remarked. “Today, it is a living testament to collective strength, rooted in transparency, social justice, and partnership.”
He also announced that India is developing the world’s largest grain storage programme through cooperatives. This initiative is designed to strengthen food security, improve market organisation, and provide fair pricing to farmers.
To further connect Indian farmers with global markets and ensure equitable profit-sharing, Shah highlighted the formation of three new multi-state cooperative societies:
These organisations aim to bridge the gap between grassroots producers and international buyers, empowering rural communities with access to global trade networks.
Kenya’s Permanent Representative, Ekitela Lokaale, shared how cooperatives in Kenya have enabled financial access through Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs), while Mongolia’s envoy, N Ankhbayar, called for greater global collaboration to promote cooperative models worldwide.
India’s message at the UN event reaffirmed its belief in cooperation as a catalyst for inclusive, sustainable development, one rooted in both tradition and forward-thinking innovation.
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