AHMEDABAD: Gujarat, one of India’s strongest cooperative economies, received just Rs 1.01 crore in financial assistance for women cooperatives from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) over five years, according to data placed before the Rajya Sabha by Ministry of Cooperation.
The figure stands out against the overall funding trend recorded in the State-wise annexure data. While total NCDC assistance to women cooperatives across the listed states and UTs rose from Rs 711.78 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 4,926.49 crore in 2025-26, Gujarat received only Rs 25 lakh in the latest financial year, after receiving nothing in 2024-25.
In simple terms, Gujarat’s funding fluctuated at extremely low levels and failed to show any sustained upward trend. The highest annual assistance was Rs 50 lakh in 2022-23, followed by a decline to Rs 26 lakh, a complete zero in 2024-25, and a modest recovery to Rs 25 lakh in 2025-26.
The numbers become more significant when compared with the scale of funding received by other states.
In 2025-26 alone, Andhra Pradesh received Rs 4,200 crore, Telangana Rs 500 crore, Rajasthan Rs 190.16 crore, Maharashtra Rs 35 crore and Madhya Pradesh Rs 0.58 crore. Gujarat, by comparison, received just Rs 0.25 crore. That means Gujarat’s share of the Rs 4,926.49 crore total assistance recorded for 2025-26 was barely 0.005%.
The contrast is particularly striking because the Ministry of Cooperation itself has highlighted dedicated financing mechanisms for women-led and SHG-linked cooperatives. These include the Swayam Shakti Sahakar Yojana, the Nandini Sahakar Scheme for women-led cooperatives in sectors including dairy, livestock and food processing, and the Yuva Sahakar Yojana for young women entrepreneurs.
The government’s reply makes clear that funding avenues are available. NCDC provides working capital loans, margin money and term loans to eligible women cooperatives, either through State governments or directly.
Generally, directly financed cooperatives must have operated for at least three years and maintain a positive net worth without erosion of paid-up share capital. The Yuva Sahakar scheme also provides support to eligible newer women cooperatives operating for at least three months.
Yet the Gujarat data raises a critical question: if multiple funding schemes are available, why has the state’s recorded NCDC assistance to women cooperatives remained so low.