United Nations, July 28: Cooperatives in India have scaled the traditional boundaries and become innovators in cutting-edge areas like digital services and finance, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“Technological innovation is making cooperatives more inclusive today. When we speak of sustainable development today, cooperatives are emerging as an effective medium to embody the core principles of circular economy”, he said in a message to an event on Monday marking the International Year of Cooperatives.

Shah, who also holds the Cooperatives portfolio, said, “In India, cooperatives have now gone beyond their traditional boundaries and have become a medium for innovation and self-reliance in areas such as digital services, healthcare, education, energy, organic farming, and financial inclusion”.

The event was organised by the permanent missions of India, Mongolia and Kenya, with the theme, “Cooperatives and Sustainable Development: Keeping the Momentum and Exploring New Pathways”.

Last year, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives to promote the role of cooperatives in achieving the goals of sustainable development.

Kenya’s Permanent Representative Ekitela Lokaale said cooperatives facilitated financial access for the people of this country through the Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO).

Cooperatives also provided avenues for sustainable and profitable agriculture through market access, and were now exploring new avenues towards sustainable development, he said.

Mongolia’s Permanent Representative N Ankhbayar, who shared his country’s experience, said the way forward was to foster global cooperation in promoting cooperatives.

India’s Permanent Representative, P. Harish, said that imbued with the spirit of cooperation rooted in ancient Sanskrit texts, the cooperative sector has played a vital role over more than a century in the nation’s growth.

Shah said that “for thousands of years, cooperation has been the soul of Indian values” and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed cooperation into a people's movement with the mantra of "Sahkar Se Samriddhi" (Prosperity through Cooperation),

Cooperatives in India are based on “a cultural consciousness based on the fundamental principles of partnership, transparency, and social justice, guiding us from the path of ‘I’ to ‘we’ and are “a testament to the power of collective strength”.

India is developing the world-largest grain storage programme, which will be implemented through cooperatives to strengthen food security, ensure organised markets and provide better prices for farmers, he said.

To connect farmers directly with global markets and ensure they get a fair share of the profits from exports, he said, three multi-state cooperative societies -- Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) -- have been set up.

(IANS)

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