New National Cooperation Policy Expected To Be Unveiled In July

The new Cooperation Policy is expected to be unveiled in July this year, according to the Ministry of Cooperation. In an official release, the ministry on Monday said that the Chairman of the National Level Committee for drafting the new National Cooperation Policy, Suresh Prabhu, made a presentation to Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi in this regard.

The meeting was attended by other committee members including Satish Marathe, Director of RBI, Dr Umakant Dash, Director of Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and K V Shahji, Chairman, NABARD, among others, along with the senior officers of the ministry.

The committee members briefed Amit Shah about the objectives, vision and mission of the draft policy. They also made key recommendations in various fields including structural reforms and governance, cooperatives as vibrant economic entities, a level playing field for cooperatives, sources of capital and funds, inclusion of priority sections, use of technology, upskilling and training, sustainability and implementation plan, according to a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

In the meeting, Amit Shah gave his guidance on how to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sahakar Se Samriddhi and to strengthen the Cooperative movement at the grassroots level through the new policy. As per the guidance received in the meeting, the Committee will prepare a revised draft.

“The new Cooperation Policy is expected to be unveiled in July 2023 after consulting all the stakeholders including state governments, central ministries/departments, National Cooperatives, etc,” read the statement by the ministry.

The National Level Committee for making the new National Cooperation Policy was formed on September 2, 2022. The current policy was formulated in 2002 and the ministry felt a need to draft a new policy in view of the changed economic scenario. The committee has 49 members from all over the country and various stakeholders.

“The process of forming a new National Cooperation Policy was initiated when the concept was discussed in the conference of State Cooperation Secretaries/ RCS held on April 12 and 13, last year and State Cooperation Ministers held on September 8 and 9, last year which were inaugurated by the Amit Shah,” the official release read.

According to the Ministry, more than 500 suggestions were received from various stakeholders and the general public for the draft policy document. The committee has held more than eight meetings and also consulted various stakeholders to prepare the draft document.