Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting at 7 LKM to review the progress of India’s cooperative sector, focusing on the vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samruddhi’. Discussions centered on technological advancements, increasing youth and women’s participation, and key initiatives of the Ministry of Cooperation. PM Modi emphasised strengthening partnerships with global cooperative organisations and promoting organic products through cooperatives, while urging a focus on export markets and the development of a soil testing model to improve agricultural practices. He stressed the need to integrate UPI with RuPay Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) for seamless financial transactions and called for healthy competition among cooperative organisations. Highlighting transparency, the PM suggested documenting cooperative assets and promoting cooperative farming as a sustainable agricultural model. He also recommended using digital public infrastructure like Agristack to provide farmers with better access to services. In education, he proposed introducing cooperative courses in schools, colleges, and IIMs, and encouraging young graduates to contribute to the sector. He suggested ranking cooperative organisations based on performance to foster growth and competition. The meeting included a briefing on the National Cooperation Policy 2025, developed through extensive consultations. The policy aims for the systematic and holistic development of the cooperative sector, with a strong focus on rural economic development and prioritisation of women and youth. It seeks to promote a cooperative-based economic model and establish a robust legal and institutional framework. Since its inception, the Ministry of Cooperation has launched 60 initiatives across seven key areas, including digitising cooperative institutions through the National Cooperative Database and strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). The ministry has integrated over 15 government schemes from 10 ministries at the PACS level, diversifying cooperative businesses, increasing income generation, and improving rural access to government initiatives. The Government of India has also introduced a bill in Parliament to convert IRMA Anand into Tribhuvan Cooperative University, granting it the status of an Institution of National Importance to promote cooperative education and research. The meeting highlighted the cooperative sector’s significant contribution to India’s economy, especially in agriculture, rural development, and economic inclusion. With over 8.2 lakh cooperative institutions across 30 sectors and more than 30 crore members, the sector plays a crucial role in the nation’s development. The meeting was attended by Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Principal Secretary to the PM Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary-2 to PM Shaktikanta Das, Advisor to PM Amit Khare, and other senior officials. (PIB )