Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah to lay the Foundation Stone and Inaugurate Several Key Initiatives at the 5th Foundation Day Ceremony of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi Tomorrow

Why in news

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah is set to attend the 5th Foundation Day Ceremony of the Ministry of Cooperation, where he will lay foundation stones and inaugurate several key initiatives related to the cooperative sector.

Exam relevance

GS2, GS3 · Governance, Economy, Science & Technology, Society · Prelims · Mains

Key facts

1. The 5th Foundation Day Ceremony of the Ministry of Cooperation will be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
2. 232 grain storage godowns are to be transferred and inaugurated under the World’s largest grain storage scheme.
3. Bhoomi Pujan will be performed for ‘Sahakar Van’, a 64 Acre cooperative forestation project by Amul and NCCF.
4. Bhoomi Pujan will also be performed for tissue culture facilities of BBSSL in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
5. NCD 3.0 and a geo-tag mobile application will be launched.
6. NDDB’s Milk Supply Review Dashboard Portal will be launched.
7. 50,000 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) are to be transformed into e-PACS.
8. Two major digital initiatives of NUCFDC—Sahakar CBS and Sahakar Sahyogi for Urban Cooperative Banks—will be unveiled.
9. Cooperative Milk Producers Organisation Multi-State Limited and Gomay Cooperative Society Multi-State Limited will be inaugurated.
10. An MoU will be signed between BBSSL and ICAR to strengthen seed systems.
11. Model bye-laws for dairy cooperative societies will be released.
12. The ceremony aligns with the vision of “Sahakar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation).

Prelims pointers

• Ministry of Cooperation's 5th Foundation Day.
• Vision of the Ministry of Cooperation: 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi'.
• World’s largest grain storage scheme and its objective.
• ‘Sahakar Van’ project by Amul and NCCF.
• NCD 3.0, Sahakar CBS, and Sahakar Sahyogi as digital initiatives for cooperatives.
• Transformation of PACS into e-PACS.
• MoU between BBSSL and ICAR for seed systems.
• Bharat Mandapam as the venue for the ceremony.

Mains practice question

Critically analyze the role of the Ministry of Cooperation in realizing the vision of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' through its recent initiatives. How do these initiatives address the challenges and opportunities within India's cooperative sector?

Static linkage

The Ministry of Cooperation was established to provide a separate administrative, legal, and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in India. Its vision, 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi', aims to promote cooperative-based economic development, ensuring grassroots empowerment and institutional strengthening. The initiatives reflect the government's focus on leveraging cooperatives for various sectors like agriculture, dairy, forestry, and banking, and integrating technology for greater transparency and efficiency.

Significance

These initiatives signify a concerted effort to modernize and strengthen India's cooperative sector across multiple dimensions. The grain storage scheme addresses critical infrastructure gaps in agriculture, reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing food security. Projects like 'Sahakar Van' and tissue culture facilities promote sustainable development and agricultural innovation. Digital initiatives such as e-PACS, NCD 3.0, Sahakar CBS, and Sahakar Sahyogi aim to bring transparency, efficiency, and financial inclusion to cooperative banks and societies. The focus on dairy cooperatives and seed systems further bolsters rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity, aligning with the broader goal of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' by fostering economic prosperity through collective action.