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Amit Shah marks the Cooperation Ministry's 5th Foundation Day, hailing a cooperative reset for 30 crore members

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah addressed the Ministry of Cooperation's 5th Foundation Day, saying that in five years the ministry — created on 6 July 2021 — has built nine national cooperative societies, a 32-crore-member digital database, and institutions from BBSSL to the Tribhuvan Cooperative University to modernise a long-neglected sector.

What happened

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the 5th Foundation Day of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi.
He recalled that the ministry was created on 6 July 2021, ending a claimed '75-year wait' for 32 crore members and more than 8.5 lakh cooperative institutions.
Over five years, he said, the sector has been made modern, transparent, technology-driven and competitive, with nine national-level cooperative societies spanning agriculture, dairy, banking, logistics and mobility and a 32-crore-member digital database.
He said the Bharat Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) will become India's largest seed-production company within three years, with organic farming, the circular economy and cattle-waste-to-energy integrated into the cooperative model.
The Tribhuvan Cooperative University is to produce skilled professionals from the PACS level upward; Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and MoS Krishan Pal Gurjar and Murlidhar Mohol attended.

For Prelims

Ministry of Cooperation: Carved out on 6 July 2021 to give the cooperative sector a separate administrative structure, legal framework and policy; earlier it sat under the Ministry of Agriculture.
'Sahkar Se Samriddhi': The ministry's guiding vision — 'Prosperity through Cooperation'.
PACS: Primary Agricultural Credit Societies — the village-level base of the three-tier short-term cooperative-credit structure; being computerised and made multi-purpose.
Three new national multi-state cooperatives (2023): BBSSL (seeds), the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) and the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL).
Tribhuvan Cooperative University: India's first national university for cooperative education, named after Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel, founder of the Amul (Kaira district) dairy cooperative.
97th Amendment (2011): Made forming cooperative societies a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(c) and added Part IXB and Article 43B (a DPSP) on cooperatives.

For UPSC: Frame cooperatives as a third pillar between the public and private sectors for an inclusive rural economy — the state building institutional scale (national societies, a members' database, PACS computerisation, a dedicated university) to professionalise a historically weak sector. Anchor the 97th Amendment (Article 19(1)(c), Part IXB, Article 43B), the new national multi-state cooperatives (BBSSL/NCOL/NCEL) and 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi'.

What it is NOT: This is an anniversary address showcasing five years of institution-building, not a new scheme or budget announcement; the figures (32 crore members, 8.5 lakh institutions) are the minister's stated totals. Cooperation is a <b>State subject</b> — the Centre's role is enabling and coordinating, not administering cooperatives directly.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.1 · GS2.10 · Linkage L2

Anchor

Reviving cooperatives as a vehicle for inclusive, rural-led growth — institutional modernisation, digitisation and professionalisation of a long-neglected sector.

Substantiation (data)

Ministry of Cooperation's 5th Foundation Day: created 6 July 2021; 32 crore members and 8.5 lakh institutions; nine national cooperative societies; 32-crore-member digital database; BBSSL, NCOL, NCEL; Tribhuvan Cooperative University.

Exemplification

PACS computerisation and diversification into multi-service centres; BBSSL for quality seeds; integration of organic farming, circular economy and cattle-waste-to-energy with the cooperative model.

Problematisation

Cooperatives have long suffered political capture, weak governance, thin capital and regional concentration (strong in Gujarat/Maharashtra, weak in the east) — the reform must widen and deepen reach without recreating dependency.

Way-forward

Professional management, transparent audits, credit and market linkages, and scaling PACS as multi-service village hubs — with the Centre enabling a State subject.

Position

Government stance: 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi' — cooperatives as the foundation of a prosperous, self-reliant rural economy by 2047.

Deploys into: Indian economy and mobilisation of resources / inclusive growth (GS3.1) · government policies and interventions for development in various sectors (GS2.10 — cooperative-sector reform) · the 97th Constitutional Amendment (Part IXB, Articles 19(1)(c) and 43B), PACS computerisation and 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi'.

Ministry of Cooperation · 2026-07-06 · PRID 2281790 · PIB source ↗