Amit Shah Unveils National Cooperation Policy 2025 to Power Inclusive Growth

In a landmark event held in New Delhi on 24 July 2025, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah officially unveiled the National Cooperation Policy – 2025, marking a transformative step in India’s journey towards inclusive, sustainable, and people-centric economic development. The unveiling was attended by several key dignitaries including Union Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, and Shri Suresh Prabhu, former Union Minister and chairman of the policy’s drafting committee.

The policy is the result of an extensive national-level consultation process led by a 40-member expert committee, which gathered insights from a broad spectrum of stakeholders — cooperative leaders, academicians, government agencies, RBI, and NABARD. In total, the committee held 17 meetings, received around 750 suggestions, and conducted regional workshops before finalizing the policy framework.

Visionary Policy Aligned with 'Sahkar Se Samriddhi'

Shri Amit Shah emphasized that this policy fulfills Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation). Noting the historical significance, he remarked that the first national cooperation policy was introduced in 2002 during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, and now, in 2025, another policy is launched under the same party’s leadership. The continuity signals long-standing political will and a governance model that prioritizes grassroots economic empowerment.

The Minister stressed that the cooperative model is unique in its ability to democratize capital, generate mass employment, and ensure inclusive development, particularly for rural India, women, Dalits, tribals, and youth. It presents a bottom-up economic framework in line with India's vision of becoming a $5 trillion economy and the world’s third-largest economy by 2027.

Six Strategic Pillars of the Policy

To achieve its ambitious vision, the National Cooperation Policy 2025 is structured around six foundational pillars:

1. Strengthening the Foundation – Enhancing institutional and legal frameworks.

2. Promoting Vibrancy – Infusing innovation, capital, and operational dynamism.

3. Preparing for the Future – Introducing digital tools and youth participation.

4. Enhancing Inclusivity and Reach – Ensuring representation from marginalized communities.

5. Expanding into New Sectors – Including tourism, green energy, insurance, and transport.

6. Engaging the Young Generation – Making cooperatives a viable career choice.

Each pillar is designed to foster a self-reliant, equitable, and digitally integrated cooperative ecosystem.

Ground-Level Implementation and Economic Targets

The policy includes concrete goals:

• Triple the cooperative sector’s contribution to India’s GDP by 2034.

• Increase cooperative societies by 30%, from 8.3 lakh to over 10.8 lakh.

• Bring 50 crore citizens into active cooperative participation, especially in rural areas.

• Ensure at least one primary cooperative unit in every panchayat, such as PACS, dairy, fisheries, or multipurpose societies.

The plan involves 83 intervention points, of which 58 have been completed and 3 fully implemented. Two interventions require continuous monitoring, and work on the rest is underway.

Leveraging Technology and Youth for Cooperative Rebirth

The Ministry has completed computerization of PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) and is pushing for tech-enabled transparent governance across all cooperatives. An ambitious monitoring and cluster-based model is being created to ensure accountability, scalability, and efficiency.

The Tribhuvan Sahkari University is being set up to supply skilled manpower, and efforts are underway to build five model cooperative villages in every tehsil through NABARD. These will serve as prototypes for nationwide replication, integrating White Revolution 2.0 to boost women’s participation in rural dairy cooperatives.

New Initiatives: Sahkar Taxi, Jan Aushadhi, and Green Energy

The government will soon launch the Sahkar Taxi initiative, where drivers will receive the full profit, revolutionizing livelihoods for rural and urban transport workers. Additionally:

• 4,108 PACS have been approved to open PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras

• 393 PACS have applied for petrol/diesel retail outlets

• 100+ PACS are entering LPG distribution

• PACS are also implementing the Har Ghar Nal Se Jal and PM Surya Ghar Yojana schemes

These efforts reflect the Ministry’s resolve to make cooperatives multifunctional service hubs for rural communities.

Legal Evolution and International Outreach

To future-proof the sector, a mechanism is set in place for reviewing and amending the policy every 10 years. Additionally, three multi-state cooperative societies have been created for exports, seed production, and organic branding. The establishment of National Cooperative Exports Limited is another step to integrate Indian cooperatives into global value chains.

Aatmanirbhar Bharat Through Member-Centric Models

Shri Amit Shah underscored that the policy's core philosophy revolves around member welfare, self-respect, and equal opportunity. He reiterated that the cooperative movement is no longer a relic of the past but a forward-looking model capable of:

• Generating mass employment

• Elevating GDP

• Driving social inclusion

• Empowering marginalized communities

With youth engagement, technological modernization, and strategic sectoral expansion, the National Cooperation Policy – 2025 charts a bold path forward, ensuring that India’s cooperative movement evolves into a globally respected and economically powerful pillar of the national economy.