Inspired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ and under the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry of Cooperation is making continuous efforts to promote professionalism, professional management, quality training and research, and the academic institutionalisation of best practices in the cooperative sector. As part of this broader mission, ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University has been established as the country’s first national university dedicated to the cooperative sector. Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol attended the First Convocation of ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University at Anand, Gujarat, today as the Chief Guest. On the occasion, 302 students of the University’s first graduating batch were conferred graduate degrees and 2 students were awarded PhD degrees. Gujarat Minister for Cooperation Shri Jitubhai Vaghani; Vice-Chancellor of ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University Dr. J. M. Vyas; Chairman of the IRMA Executive Board Dr. Meenesh Shah; Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Shri Anand Kumar Jha; Acting Director of IRMA Dr. Shashwat Narayan; Deans, Registrar and faculty members of the University; graduating students; and their parents and family members were present at the ceremony.

Addressing the Convocation, Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol congratulated all degree recipients, their parents and the University family on his own behalf and on behalf of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah. He said that a convocation should not be regarded as the end of education. Convocation does not mean the conclusion of education; rather, it marks the beginning of initiation and the start of a new resolve. The students’ formal education is being completed today, but a new journey in the real world of work is now beginning.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University has been established to develop trained, skilled and committed human resources for the cooperative sector. The University will prepare leaders, researchers and professional managers who will connect cooperation with modern management, technology and innovation and take India’s cooperative movement to new heights. He said that the land of Anand is the birthplace of India’s White Revolution. Inspired by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Tribhuvandas Patel established the Kheda District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union in 1946 and organised farmers, showing them the path to becoming the owners of their own produce. This institution subsequently evolved into Amul. Through the efforts of visionaries such as Tribhuvandas Patel and Dr. Verghese Kurien, India transformed from a milk-deficient country into the world’s largest milk producer.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation said that ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University is built on the nearly 45-year rich academic and institutional legacy of the Institute of Rural Management Anand—IRMA. IRMA has made a significant contribution to research, training and policy formulation in the fields of cooperation, dairy and rural development. More than 18,000 persons have been trained through its over 850 Management Development Programmes. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, IRMA was accorded the status of an Institution of National Importance in 2025 and established as ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that the country today has more than 8.5 lakh cooperative societies, with over 32 crore members. This means that nearly half of the country’s population is directly or indirectly connected with the cooperative sector. Cooperation has emerged as an effective means of empowering farmers, women, artisans and rural entrepreneurs in dairy, banking, agriculture, fisheries and several other sectors. He said that, recognising the potential of cooperation in the development of rural India, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi established an independent Ministry of Cooperation in July 2021 and appointed Shri Amit Shah, who has nearly four decades of experience in the cooperative sector, as the country’s first Minister of Cooperation. Under the leadership of Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry has taken more than 140 important decisions during the past five years, giving fresh momentum to the expansion, modernisation and institutional strengthening of the cooperative sector.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation said that the cooperative ecosystem is being strengthened through initiatives aimed at making PACS multipurpose and economically viable, establishing new multipurpose PACS, implementing the world’s largest grain storage scheme, creating the umbrella organisation NUCFDC for Urban Cooperative Banks, and introducing ‘Sahakar Sarathi’ for Rural Cooperative Banks. A target has been set to establish two lakh multipurpose PACS across the country over the next five years, of which more than 35,000 societies have already been formed and have begun functioning. He said that National Cooperative Exports Limited—NCEL, National Cooperative Organics Limited—NCOL and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited—BBSSL have been established to provide farmers with an integrated ‘seed to market’ ecosystem. Large-scale financial assistance is also being provided to cooperative institutions through the National Cooperative Development Corporation—NCDC.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that the National Cooperative Development Corporation—NCDC is a leading institution providing financial assistance to cooperative societies across the country. He said that from its establishment in 1963 until 2014, NCDC provided assistance of approximately Rs 55,000 crore to the cooperative sector, whereas under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, nearly Rs 4.5 lakh crore in financial assistance was provided during the 11 years from 2014 to 2025, giving unprecedented momentum to the expansion, modernisation and economic strengthening of cooperative institutions. He said that cooperation is no longer confined to traditional sectors such as dairy, sugar, fertilisers and banking. The cooperative model is expanding into several new areas, including organic farming, seed production, tourism, storage, insurance, food processing and digital services. Cooperative sugar mills are developing a complete value chain encompassing not only sugar, but also ethanol, biogas and organic manure.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation said that Bharat Taxi, based on the concept of ‘The Driver is the Owner’, has presented a new model for the cooperative economy. This initiative is an important step towards treating service providers in the platform-based economy not merely as workers, but as partners and owners of the institution. The cooperative taxi service is planned to be expanded to nearly 500 cities across the country over the next two years.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that, for the first time since the 1970s, a strong initiative in the form of ‘White Revolution 2.0’ has been launched, with the objective of increasing milk procurement by 50 percent over the next five years. He said that Amul is the finest example of the strength of cooperation and women’s empowerment. More than 36 lakh women are associated with Amul today, and its total turnover reached Rs 1 lakh crore in the financial year 2025-26. He said that the rules have been suitably amended to ensure the representation of women and weaker sections of society on the Boards of Directors of cooperative institutions.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation said that the National Cooperation Policy, formulated for the first time in the country since 2002, aims to make the cooperative sector modern, transparent, accountable and capable. Several institutional reforms have been undertaken to address challenges relating to transparency and good governance in the cooperative sector. The Cooperative Election Authority has been established to ensure independent and time-bound elections, while the institution of the Cooperative Ombudsman has been created for the effective and impartial redressal of members’ grievances.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that cooperative sugar mills are no longer remaining confined to sugar production alone; instead, a complete value chain extending to ethanol, biogas and organic manure is being developed. He said that demand for trained managers and skilled human resources is rising rapidly in emerging fields such as organic farming, seed production, tourism, storage, insurance, food processing and digital services. Appointments from primary cooperative societies to apex cooperative institutions are now being made on the basis of merit and professional standards. He called upon the students to use Artificial Intelligence, digital platforms and innovation to make cooperative institutions and agricultural enterprises more efficient, modern and competitive.

Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that the cooperative sector will require more than 17 lakh trained youth in the coming years. ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University will play an important role in meeting this requirement by developing human resources equipped with professional leadership, research capabilities and modern management skills for the cooperative sector. He called upon the degree recipients to serve as Brand Ambassadors of ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University and, wherever they go, to follow the cooperative principle of taking all sections of society along. He said that the students should make the spirit of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ the guiding principle of their lives and work.

During his official visit to Gujarat, Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol also held a review meeting at the National Institute of Cooperative Management—NICM in Gandhinagar. At the meeting, he reviewed the progress of ongoing preparations for the commencement of various courses under ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University and directed the officials concerned to complete all necessary academic, administrative and institutional arrangements within the stipulated timelines.

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