Kolkata: State Cooperation minister Pradip Mazumdar on Thursday urged cooperative societies in Bengal to explore opportunities in emerging sectors such as homestays and telemedicine to enhance livelihood options for the youth.
Speaking at the central programme of the 72nd All India Cooperative Week, Mazumdar said technological advancement has underscored the need for stability and self-reliance. He noted that the state has opened the door for greater youth participation in Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), with elections completed in 3,700 of the 4,800 PACS across Bengal.
“The experience of senior members and the energy and skills of the youth will drive the cooperative movement forward,” he said.
Highlighting new initiatives, the minister cited a Dum Dum-based cooperative that has ventured into the parking business, engaging young people in both field and back-office operations. He added that cooperatives in remote areas are using e-PoS machines to deliver financial services at residents’ doorsteps. Bengal, he said, has emerged as one of the best-performing states in telemedicine and the homestay sector, offering ample scope for cooperative involvement.
Mazumdar said the state government is working to infuse technology into cooperative functioning to help them keep pace with changing times.
Recalling Rabindranath Tagore’s 1928 call for cooperatives to drive sustainable development, he noted that the UN has declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives under the theme “Cooperatives Build a Better World”, recognising their contribution to the SDGs.