Anand, July 7: India’s Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday called for a fundamental shift in the functioning of the country’s cooperative sector, emphasising the need for transparency, digital infrastructure, and member-centric governance.
Speaking at the fourth foundation day celebration of the Ministry of Cooperation at Amul Dairy in Anand, Gujarat, Shah said that cooperatives from “Kashmir to Kamakhya” must adopt a new work culture driven by technology and accountability.
“Without technology, there is no prosperity for cooperatives,” the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said. “Transparency, technology, and keeping members’ interests at the centre — these three principles must become the foundation of every cooperative in the country.”
Shah outlined a five-point roadmap for reform in the sector, which included prioritising people, strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACs), building digital platforms, enacting policy reforms, and ensuring prosperity for farmers and workers through inclusive growth.
Since the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, the government has registered 200,000 PACs, created India’s first cooperative university, and launched three national-level dairy cooperatives, Shah said.
The minister also cited Amul’s success as a model for cooperative growth, predicting that the dairy giant’s turnover would exceed ₹1 lakh crore ($12 billion) next year. He inaugurated several new Amul facilities during the event, including a mozzarella cheese plant and automated processing units.
Paying tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary, Shah credited him with laying the ideological foundation for the removal of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “One country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two flags,” he said, quoting Mookerjee’s historic slogan.
Shah concluded with a call to action, stating that the cooperative sector should become the economic backbone of the country. “With over 60 initiatives already launched, we are committed to transforming the cooperative movement into a vehicle for equitable and sustainable development,” he said.
