NewzVille Desk
Home Minister Amit Shah participated as the chief guest at the inaugural function of International Year of Cooperatives 2025 in Mumbai, Maharashtra on Friday. Minister Shah also inaugurated the corporate office of the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC). On this occasion, Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with the Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, and several other dignitaries were present.
In his address, Amit Shah said that the Ministry of Cooperation has outlined a 12-month program to celebrate the Year of Cooperatives in India, which is being inaugurated today. He said that India will celebrate the Year of Cooperatives in a way that will significantly advance the cooperative movement across the country.
He emphasized that during the International Year of Cooperatives, efforts will be made to expand the cooperative sector, bring transparency within it, strengthen cooperative institutions, increase the reach of cooperatives to new areas, and connect every individual in India to some form of cooperation.
Minister Shah stated that by 31 December, 2025, when the UN International Year of Cooperatives concludes, the growth of India’s cooperative movement will be both symmetric and inclusive, and the goal of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” will be largely achieved.
He further noted that the cooperative sector will play a significant role in achieving the two major goals set by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi: becoming the third-largest economic power in the world and transforming into a fully developed nation by 2047. He added that the cooperative sector will advance on the principles of social harmony, equality, and inclusivity.
The Union Minister of Cooperation stated that in the coming days, the principle of ‘Cooperation Amongst Cooperatives’ will be implemented across the nation. The ‘umbrella organization’ will do the work of integrating activities like digital banking, mobile banking, online transactions and trade with foreign countries with the Urban Cooperative Bank.
All transactions and financial activities of cooperative institutions will be conducted exclusively through cooperative banks. Shri Shah emphasized that once the principle of Cooperation Amongst Cooperatives is effectively grounded in all states, it will lead to significant success, enabling the cooperative sector to achieve economic self-reliance.
