NEW DELHI: A new cooperative policy for 2021-22, amendment of the multi-state co-operative societies act to facilitate the functioning of the multi-state cooperative societies was among the key announcements made by Amit Shah on Saturday, September 25, 2021, as he addressed the first Sehkarita Sammelan or ‘National Cooperative Conference’ as the union cooperation minister.
Shah also announced that the number of Primary Agriculture Cooperatives (PACs) would be increased to 3 lakh in the next five years. At present, there are about 65,000 PACs. “We will set a target to establish a PAC in every second village in the coming five years...The path of development of crores of farmers, the deprived, the backwards, the Dalits, the poor, the neglected and women can only take place through cooperation,” Shah said.
The Union home minister also sought to dispel apprehensions about the ministry of cooperation that was created in July this year. Addressing the gathering comprising over 2,100 representatives of different cooperatives and nearly 6 crore online participants, Shah said some people wonder why the Centre created this new ministry as the cooperatives are a state subject.
Shah said there could be a legal response to it, but he does not want to “get into this argument.” He emphasised that the centre would cooperate with states and “there will be no friction.” “We will work with all states to take forward the cooperative movement,” he said, and stressed that the Ministry of Cooperation has been formed to strengthen and modernise the sector.
On the proposed new cooperative policy, Shah said a policy was brought in 2002 by the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and now the Modi government would start working on a new policy. Citing the importance of cooperatives, Shah said 29 per cent of farm loans, 35 per cent of urea production and 31 per cent of urea distribution was done through cooperatives. He added that 91 per cent of villages have cooperative societies.