Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched the National Cooperation Policy – 2025, aimed at strengthening and modernising India’s vast cooperative sector. The policy envisions the creation of professionally managed, transparent, and financially independent cooperative organisations in every village across the country.
This landmark policy comes 23 years after the last cooperative policy was introduced in 2002. The new policy seeks to reform various aspects of the cooperative sector and position cooperatives as key contributors to India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Key Highlights of the Policy:
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Village-Level Reach: The government aims to establish at least one cooperative organisation in every village, with a target to include over 50 crore citizens within the cooperative network.
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Technology & Transparency: Cooperatives will be made future-ready by adopting modern technology, ensuring transparent operations, and promoting professional management practices.
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Legal & Regulatory Reforms: The policy focuses on creating a supportive legal environment, simplifying governance, enhancing the ease of doing business, and promoting autonomy and transparency in the sector.
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Sector Expansion: Cooperatives will be encouraged to expand into emerging sectors and international markets, while continuing to support areas like housing, dairy, textiles, fisheries, marketing, consumer services, healthcare, and more.
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Environmental Focus & Employment: The policy promotes eco-friendly practices and the circular economy, while also focusing on skilling and upskilling youth and women to generate employment opportunities in the sector.
Amit Shah emphasized that cooperatives now enjoy equal status with corporate entities in terms of taxation and regulatory treatment. India currently has more than 8 lakh cooperative societies, including around 2 lakh credit cooperatives and 6 lakh non-credit cooperatives. Also Read | National Cooperative Database to help map PACS for policymaking: Amit Shah
The policy was formulated by a 48-member national committee headed by former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu. Shah urged all states to begin implementing the policy at the earliest, stating that a robust and modern cooperative sector can significantly contribute to India’s development journey.
“This policy lays a strong foundation for the cooperative movement in India and will play a crucial role in achieving the vision of a developed India by 2047,” said Shah. (With inputs from PTI)
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