Amit Shah addressed the 5th Foundation Day celebration of the Ministry of Cooperation

Amit Shah addressed the 5th Foundation Day celebration of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi yesterday. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Atish Chandra, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar and several senior officials were present on the occasion. National cooperative institutions, cooperative federations, cooperative banks, dairy cooperatives, Bharat Taxi, PACS and other stakeholders from the cooperative sector also participated in the programme.

On the occasion, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that yesterday is an extremely auspicious day for all of us. Exactly five years ago, the 75-year-long wait of 32 crore people associated with cooperation and more than 8.50 lakh cooperative institutions across the country came to an end. On this very day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took the historic decision to establish an independent Ministry of Cooperation in the Government of India. He said this decision of the Prime Minister pivoted the country’s cooperative movement to new heights, which had remained neglected and was subjected to second-class treatment for 75 years before that. He said that by establishing the Ministry of Cooperation, Modi ji infused new life into the cooperative sector.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that whenever our party or alliance got the opportunity to govern, we gave special emphasis to, rural development and all sectors related to agriculture. He said when Atal ji became Prime Minister, he established the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In 2019, Modi ji established the Ministry of Jal Shakti, bringing water management under one integrated ministry. In the same year, the Ministry of Fisheries was created. That year itself, the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying was established separately, and in 2021, by creating the Ministry of Cooperation, Modi ji took a major revolutionary step in the field of agriculture and rural development.

Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that when the Ministry of Cooperation was established five years ago, the biggest controversy created was that ‘cooperation’ is a State subject under the Constitution of India and that by forming a Ministry of Cooperation at the Centre, the Union Government would interfere in the work of States. He said five years have passed, but even States governed by opposition parties have never complained that the Union Ministry of Cooperation is interfering in any way, and this is our biggest achievement. He said those who understand cooperation know that there can be no question of interference in cooperation. Taking everyone along, moving forward with everyone’s cooperation and continuously adding everyone’s strengths is the very essence of cooperation. He said that in the last five years, the Ministry of Cooperation has proved that it was created not to interfere in the functioning of the States, but to assist them, to support policy-making and to help in their advancement. Shri Shah said the Ministry of Cooperation has initiated several steps that have completely proved wrong the assumptions of those with a negative mindset.

Shri Amit Shah said that in these five years, we have identified problems, nurtured possibilities and also provided future-oriented policies to States. He said the last five years have proved to be a golden period for the Ministry of Cooperation. Whenever the history of India’s cooperative movement is written, this period will certainly be recorded in golden letters. He said that from PACS to apex institutions, from State Governments to cooperative federations at the district level, we have converted our initiatives into results after extensive consultation at every level.