The new policy will go a long way in strengthening the co-operative movement in the country.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced the constitution of a national level committee for drafting of the national cooperation policy document.
The new national cooperative policy is being formulated to realize the vision of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi ' under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The national level committee under the Chairmanship of former Union Cabinet Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu consists of 47 members from all parts of the country. It comprises experts of the cooperative sector; representatives of National, State and District and Primary Cooperative Societies; Secretaries (Cooperation) and Registrars of Cooperative Societies of States and Union Territories; and officers from Central ministries and departments.
The Union Home Minister had recently announced that a national cooperation policy will soon be prepared which will have a holistic approach from Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) upwards.
The existing national policy on cooperatives was formulated in 2002 with the objectives of facilitating all-round development of cooperatives and providing necessary support, encouragement, and assistance to them, so as to ensure that cooperatives work as autonomous, self-reliant and democratically managed institutions accountable to their members and make a significant contribution to the national economy.
"Today, India has around 8.5 lakh co-operative societies with a member base of around 29 crores, spread across the length and breadth of the country. These co-operatives are engaged in varied activities like agro-processing, dairying, fisheries, housing, weaving, credit, marketing, to name a few," mentions a Cooperation Ministry statement.
The new national cooperation policy document is being formulated with a view to fulfilling the mandate given to the newly created Ministry of Cooperation, which inter alia, includes realizing the vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi'; strengthening cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots; promoting cooperative-based economic development model; creating an appropriate policy, legal and institutional framework to help cooperatives realise their potential.
The new policy will go a long way in strengthening the co-operative movement in the country, said the statement.
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