PIB TrackerNational Cooperation Policy 2025: a 10-year roadmap to bring 50 crore people into cooperatives
The National Cooperation Policy 2025 — with six pillars, 16 objectives and 83 recommendations — sets a 10-year roadmap to develop India's cooperative sector, aiming to bring 50 crore people into cooperatives and treble the sector's contribution to the economy, under 'Sahkar se Samriddhi'.
What happened
- The National Cooperation Policy (NCP) 2025 — launched on 24 July 2025 — guides the development of India's cooperative sector.
- It has six strategic pillars, 16 objectives and 83 recommendations over 10 years.
- It aims to bring 50 crore people into cooperatives and treble the sector's economic contribution.
- It contains provisions for Dalits, Adivasis, women and weaker sections; no specific budget is envisaged.
- It is the first national cooperation policy since 2002, under 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' (Ministry of Cooperation, est. 2021).
For Prelims
- NCP 2025: The National Cooperation Policy 2025 — a 10-year roadmap (6 pillars, 16 objectives, 83 recommendations) for the cooperative sector; the first since 2002.
- Ministry of Cooperation: Created in July 2021 (carved out of Agriculture) with the mandate 'Sahkar se Samriddhi'; headed by the Home & Cooperation Minister.
- Cooperatives: Member-owned, democratically-run bodies (one-member-one-vote) across credit (PACS), dairy, housing, fisheries, sugar and marketing.
- PACS: Primary Agricultural Credit Societies — grassroots credit cooperatives; a major reform is their computerisation and multipurpose expansion.
- Constitutional basis: The 97th Amendment (2011) (Part IX-B; Art. 19(1)(c)); 'cooperative societies' is a State List subject.
- Goal: Expand membership (target 50 crore), professionalise management, and grow the sector's economic contribution.
For UPSC: A polity-and-development item — a national policy to modernise and expand the cooperative sector. Use it for cooperative governance (PACS, the 'Anand pattern'), the Ministry of Cooperation and 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', the 97th Amendment/Part IX-B, and cooperatives in inclusive rural development.
What it is NOT: This is a policy roadmap (a status note on the NCP 2025's implementation), not a law or a budgeted scheme — the document itself envisages no specific allocation. 'Cooperative societies' remains largely a State subject; the policy provides a national framework.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS2.11 · GS3.2 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Reviving cooperatives — a national roadmap to expand membership and the sector's economic role.
Substantiation (data)
NCP 2025 (launched 24 July 2025): 6 pillars, 16 objectives, 83 recommendations over 10 years; targets 50 crore people in cooperatives and trebling the sector's economic contribution; provisions for Dalits/Adivasis/women; first policy since 2002.
Exemplification
PACS computerisation, model bye-laws and the Tribhuvan Sahkari University operationalising the policy's goals.
Problematisation
Governance, professional management and viability of cooperatives, centre-state balance (a State subject), and no dedicated budget.
Way-forward
Professionalise and computerise cooperatives, expand inclusive membership, and strengthen PACS as multipurpose institutions.
Position
A modernised, inclusive cooperative sector can broaden participation in the economy and rural livelihoods.
Deploys into: Polity & development — development processes/NGOs + inclusive growth (GS2.11, GS3.2) · the National Cooperation Policy 2025 and the Ministry of Cooperation, PACS and the 97th Amendment, and cooperatives in rural development.
Ministry of Cooperation · 2026-07-21 · PRID 2287166 · PIB source ↗