Under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ and the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, continuous efforts are being made to strengthen, modernise, make transparent and expand the cooperative sector of the country. In this sequence, Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol today addressed the inauguration ceremony of the new Head Office of Shri Beereshwar Co-operative Credit Society Limited (Multi-State), located at Nandi in Chikodi Taluka of Belagavi district, Karnataka. Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi, several dignitaries from the State of Karnataka, representatives of the cooperative sector and a large number of citizens were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol said that today is an extremely important and joyous day for the cooperative sector in Karnataka. Shri Mohol conveyed his best wishes to the entire team of the institution on behalf of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah and the Union Ministry of Cooperation.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation said that Shri Beereshwar Co-operative Credit Society has approximately 4.60 lakh members, its 263 branches are spread across the country and the Society has a business of more than Rs 9,000 crore. He said that today also marks the 36th Foundation Day of the institution. He congratulated the entire team of the institution for managing cooperative activities on such a large scale.

Shri Mohol said that cooperation has expanded on a large scale in States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. He said that Shri Annasaheb Jolle and his wife have made an important contribution to the cooperative sector of Karnataka. Referring to the work carried out by them in various areas, including cooperative sugar factories, cooperative banks and credit societies, Shri Mohol appreciated their contribution.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji deserves appreciation for giving a new direction to the cooperative system of the country. He said that today more than 8.5 lakh cooperative societies and cooperative institutions are functioning in the country and approximately 32 crore people are members of these cooperative institutions. Nearly 20 to 25 crore families are directly connected with cooperation and, thus, almost half of the country’s population is associated with the cooperative system in one form or another.

Shri Mohol said that earlier, the work relating to cooperation in the country was handled under a department of the agriculture sector within the jurisdiction of a Joint Secretary. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, recognising the scale and importance of the cooperative sector, established an independent Ministry of Cooperation in the country. He said that over the last nearly five years, the cooperative sector of the country has undergone a fundamental transformation under the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah.

Shri Mohol said that Shri Amit Shah has vast experience of working across the cooperative banking system, from village societies to district banks and State-level cooperative banks. Under his leadership as the country’s first Minister of Cooperation, cooperation in India received a new momentum and work began towards its equitable expansion and development across the country.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation said that more than 160 important decisions have been taken for the cooperative sector during the tenure of Shri Amit Shah. He said that through these decisions, efforts have been made to strengthen and empower the cooperative movement of the country. Work worth approximately Rs 3,000 crore has been initiated for the computerisation of nearly 80,000 village-level Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). In addition, village cooperative institutions have been linked with 25 different types of businesses to expand their economic activities and sources of income.

Shri Mohol said that three Multi-State Cooperative Societies have been created with the objective of developing a comprehensive cooperative ecosystem for farmers and nearly 70,000 cooperative institutions across the country have joined them as members. He said that through this, work is being undertaken to provide new opportunities to farmers and cooperative institutions.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation said that there are more than 1,500 Urban Cooperative Banks in the country. Earlier, there was no common organisation to understand the difficulties and problems faced by these banks, address issues related to the Reserve Bank of India and facilitate their business operations. He said that for this purpose, an Umbrella Organisation, NUCFDC, has been established in the country, through which assistance is being provided to ensure the smooth functioning of Urban Cooperative Banks.

Shri Mohol said that an independent platform named ‘Sahkar Sarathi’ has been developed for Rural Cooperative Banks. He said that keeping future requirements in mind, there is a need to take cooperation to every part of the country, further expand its reach, make the functioning of cooperative institutions more systematic and efficient, and further strengthen trust and credibility in the cooperative system.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation said that approximately 17 lakh people will need to be trained to work in the cooperative sector over the next nearly 10 years. He said that with this objective, the country’s first cooperative university, ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University, has been launched, which will play an important role in developing trained human resources for the cooperative sector.

Shri Mohol said that renewed work has also begun in the field of the White Revolution. Along with this, several new initiatives such as Sahkar Bima and Bharat Taxi have been launched under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji and the leadership of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah. He said that through these initiatives, the cooperative sector of the country is continuously becoming stronger.

The Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation, referring to the role of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), said that NCDC provides assistance and financial support to cooperative institutions across the country. He underlined the importance of NCDC in providing financial and institutional support to cooperative institutions. Shri Mohol expressed confidence that the cooperative movement would continue to progress in the same manner throughShri Beereshwar Co-operative Credit Society. He said that such cooperative institutions have an important role in truly realising and fulfilling the resolve of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’.

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AK/AP