Amit Shah stresses need for member-oriented governance in cooperatives

ANAND: Union Home and Cooperation minister Amit Shah on Thursday stressed the need for transparency, technology integration, and member-oriented governance in cooperatives. He also urged all the cooperative leaders to adopt such principles in the ‘International Year of Cooperatives’.

The Home minister earlier inaugurated a series of major initiatives to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Ministry of Cooperation and the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The function was organised in Anand, Gujarat — the cradle of India’s dairy cooperative movement.

Shah inaugurated the newly established multi-state cooperative organisation, the Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation Limited, and released its official logo.

He also opened the new office complex of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI)—Maniben Patel Bhawan—at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) complex in Anand. The Ready-to-Use Culture (RUC) Plant of NDDB was also dedicated at the event.

Speaking to the gathering, arranged by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF), Shah said that the genesis of cooperation in India goes back to the Vedic period, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided this heritage a systematic shape by setting up a standalone Ministry of Cooperation on the same day four years ago. More than 8.4 lakh cooperative societies covering almost 31 crore people have since been re-energised.

He also remembered Syama Prasad Mookerjee, remembering his contribution to national integration, especially concerning Kashmir, and stated that such dedication is the motive force of the cooperative movement even today.

Shah detailed that more than 60 initiatives have been initiated by the ministry in four years based on five pillars: People, PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies), Platform, Policy, and Prosperity. He drew attention to the fact that 56 lakh women from Gujarat and the rest of India have contributed to a yearly cooperative turnover of Rs 80,000 crore, which is anticipated to exceed Rs 1 lakh crore next year.

On the occasion, Shah formally opened Amul’s Chocolate Plant expansion at Mogar, the capacity of which was doubled from 30 to 60 tonnes per day, and Dr Verghese Kurien Cheese Plant at Khatraj, constructed at a cost of Rs 260 crore. He also opened UHT milk, whey-based beverages, mozzarella cheese, processed cheese packs, and smart warehousing facilities.