Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah today chaired the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Cooperation at Banas Dairy in the Vav–Tharad district of Gujarat. Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Members of Parliament of the Committee, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, and senior officers of the Ministry of Cooperation were present at the meeting. The meeting discussed the future strategy for India’s dairy cooperative sector and White Revolution 2.0. A comprehensive presentation on the cooperative dairy sector was made before the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, highlighting the sector’s potential and the role of dairy cooperatives in promoting circularity and sustainability.

Addressing the meeting, Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah said that cooperation is the foundation of India’s rural economy, farmers’ income enhancement, women empowerment, and the nation’s self-reliance in milk production. He emphasized that, in accordance with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’, dairy cooperatives have today become a strong driver of farmers’ development.
Shri Amit Shah said that dairy cooperatives are the most effective means to increase the income of every woman in India and make every household self-reliant. He also gave several new suggestions and guidelines to further strengthen the cooperative framework. He said that village-level cooperative societies will be linked with insurance cooperatives, ensuring easy access to insurance services for rural communities. He added that dairy cooperative societies will also be linked with insurance services so that villagers can obtain two-wheeler and four-wheeler insurance through the cooperative network. Shri Shah said that cooperative institutions should also invest in other cooperative entities so that mutual strengthening and capital expansion can take place within the cooperative ecosystem.
Shri Amit Shah said that three Multi-State Cooperative Societies have been established at the national level for the dairy sector. Through these institutions, NDDB and the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying have initiated White Revolution 2.0, whose objective is to set up a cooperative society in every Panchayat and a dairy in every district with adequate milk production. Shri Shah said that this is a long-term programme, and the Tribhuvan Cooperative University (TSU) set up in Anand will partner with dairy technology institutes to start B.Sc. and M.Sc. courses in Dairy Technology and Management. Graduates of these programmes will contribute to implementing the Banas Dairy model in districts across the country after completing their studies. He said that this initiative must be made successful so that farmers receive the full value of their milk.
The Cooperation Minister, citing the example of Banas Dairy, said that four state-of-the-art soil testing labs will be set up in every district to ensure scientific assessment of soil quality for farmers. He also informed the Committee that excessive use of chemical fertilizers affects soil quality, and therefore, it is essential to educate farmers on when and which fertilizers—urea, DAP, micronutrients—should be used so that soil remains healthy and crop productivity increases.

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AK/PR/PS