Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Food Processing Industries, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar todayunveiled Sahakar Pragya.The 45 new training modules of Sahakar Pragya of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will impart training to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the country along with Lakshmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy (Linac).Sahakar Pragya embodies enhancing NCDC’s training capacity by 18fold through an elaborate network of 18 Regional Training Centres across the country by the dedicated, Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) set up and fully funded by NCDC.

On this occasion, Mr. Tomar called upon the cooperative sector to play a role in making the village-poor-farmers Atma Nirbhar.Shri Tomar said that today India boasts a huge network of over 8.50 lakh cooperative societies with about 290 million members and around94% of the farmers in India are member of at least one cooperative society. He said that cooperatives have a major role in Atma Nirbhar Bharat and it lends strength to farmers to minimize risks in agriculture and allied sectors and act as shield against exploitation by unscrupulous traders.

Shri Tomarfurther added that there are more than 2.53 lakh gram panchayats in the country, through which the Government is working to ensure that every household has access to basic amenities like toilets, electricity, water, cooking gas, etc.He further said that there are 86 percent small farmers in the country, who cannot invest in farming on their own, the government is focusing on developing facilities like cold storage at village level for them, so that farmers are not forced to sell their produce at low prices.

Shri Tomarsaid that NCDC has emerged as a financial powerhouse giving the client cooperatives a wide range of products and services. So far it has advanced loans to the tunes of Rs 1.58 lakh crores to cooperative societies of various categories across the country.Sahakar Pragya is the latest in the series of farmer focused steps by NCDC.

These 45 training modules pf Sahakar Pragya to be delivered at LINAC and its countrywide network of Regional Training Centres will address the need for training of Primary cooperatives, FPO-Cooperatives and Self Help Groups federating.The training programmes will be supported under NCDC schemes,10000 FPO formation scheme of Government of India,Agri Infra Fund scheme of Government of India , PM-FME scheme of Min of Food Processing Industry,  Dairy Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India, Fisheries Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India, PM MatsyaSampada Yojana of Government of India, Min of Rural Dev schemes State/UT schemes  Other organizations’ schemes.

NCDC has been created for the purpose of planning and promoting programmes for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, certain other commodities and services like hospital & healthcare and education etc. on cooperative principles. It extends financial assistance to cooperatives at all the three tiers, Primary, District and Apex / Multi-State.

Known for hand-holding cooperatives across the country with funding and project ideas, NCDC has been proactive in delivering innovative solutions for the cooperative sector. In the series of initiatives by NCDC had earlier launched the SahakarCooptube NCDC Channel with the aim to involve youth in the cooperative movement.  Formation of new cooperatives is a prerequisite for bringing new life and dedication in the realm of cooperative movement. NCDC’s guidance videos in different languages covering local requirements of 18 States on SahakarCooptubestrengthens the major initiative of Government of India to promote and form 10,000 FPOs.

Working with the ideals mooted by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for Doubling the Farmers’ Income, Stand Up India and Skilling India, NCDC has earlier launched various initiatives and programmes like SAHAKAR-22 to develop cooperatives in Focus 222 districts, including aspirational districts, Nurturing Primary Level Cooperatives, SAHAKAR MITRA – Scheme on Internship Programme, YUVA SAHAKAR- Start Up Scheme in Cooperatives and AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR- for creation of healthcare infrastructure and services.

**** 

APS/MS