AHMEDABAD: In a sharp move to overhaul the cooperative sector, Union Minister Amit Shah, during his two-day visit to Anand, Gujarat, laid the foundation of the ambitious Tribhuvan Cooperative University.
At events held at NDDB and Amul, Shah vowed to end nepotism, promising jobs only for qualified graduates and pushing for full transparency. He also announced seven key reforms to fix deep-rooted flaws and accelerate cooperative sector growth.
In a decisive push to overhaul India’s cooperative sector, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel laid the foundation stone of the world’s first Tribhuvan Cooperative University in Anand — known as the cradle of India’s dairy movement.
Remarkably, the university is set to become operational within just four months of its announcement in the Union Budget, marking a swift execution of the Centre’s vision.
Calling the cooperative sector central to rural and economic empowerment, Shah highlighted that the scope of cooperative activities is poised to expand rapidly, with upcoming services like cooperative-run taxi and insurance ventures.
“This university will provide the skilled manpower needed to power those plans,” he asserted.
Shah emphasized that the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Cooperation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a historic move aimed at empowering rural India, especially the poor and marginalized.
“To address structural flaws, consultations were held with 16 key cooperative leaders across the country, resulting in seven major initiatives to reform the sector,” Shah noted.
These include measures to enhance transparency, democratic functioning, and inclusivity within cooperatives. The upcoming university, to be built over 125 acres with an investment of Rs 500 crore, will be a hub for policy research, data analysis, and long-term strategy formulation in the cooperative field.
“This is not just an academic campus—it is a correction center for decades of neglect in cooperative training and leadership,” Shah stated.
Currently, India has 40 lakh cooperative employees, 80 lakh board members, and 30 crore people directly involved in the movement. Despite such massive reach, Shah pointed out, there was no structured institution to train and guide them—a vacuum this university aims to fill.
From technical and accounting skills to cooperative culture and scientific temper, the curriculum is designed to raise a new generation of professionals and leaders.
Directly addressing nepotism in cooperative recruitments, Shah declared, “Those who study here will get jobs in the cooperative sector. The era of favoritism is over.” He envisioned the university as a cradle for future cooperative visionaries, much like Tribhuvan Das Patel, who founded the Kheda Milk Union in 1946, which grew into the iconic Amul brand.
“Today, 36 lakh women are doing business worth Rs 80,000 crore through Amul. This was born out of a fight against the injustice of Paulsons Dairy,” Shah recalled.
He praised Patel’s selfless legacy, including how 6 lakh women raised Rs 6 lakh as a farewell gift, which Patel donated for public service, and how he sponsored Dr. Verghese Kurien’s foreign education, who later revolutionized India’s dairy sector.
The event also saw the release of two NCERT textbook modules on cooperatives, with Shah proposing the inclusion of cooperative education in Gujarat’s academic curriculum. He called on experts from across India to contribute to this bold new step, positioning the university as a cornerstone of both rural and urban economic transformation.