Ministry of Cooperation 5th Foundation Day 2026 Highlights
Why in the news
The Ministry of Cooperation turned five on 6 July 2026. A week-long national campaign (29 June to 6 July) ended with an event addressed by Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, where many projects were launched.
Key facts
- Theme: “Sahakar Se Samriddhi” (prosperity through cooperation).
- Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
- A book on the Ministry’s five-year achievements was released.
- Godowns: foundation stone for 47, inauguration of 85, and handover of 135 grain storage units.
- NCD 3.0 (National Cooperative Database) and a geo-tag mobile app for mapping cooperative infrastructure were launched.
- Three new multi-state cooperatives were opened, covering milk producer coordination, cow-dung based economy and dairy inputs/services.
- Bhoomi pujan of Sahakar Van, an afforestation effort by Amul and NCCF.
New digital platforms
| Platform | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sahakar CBS | Shared core banking system for UCBs, built under NUCFDC, so small banks avoid heavy IT spending |
| Sahakar Sahyogi | Conversational AI tool for UCB operations, customer engagement and member services |
| NCD 3.0 | Single data platform for all cooperative societies |
| Geo-tag app | Locates and tracks cooperative assets across the country |
| NDDB Milk Supply Review Dashboard | Live monitoring of milk supply in cooperatives |
PACS and UCB reforms
- 50,000 PACS were turned into e-PACS for digital delivery and transparency.
- The wider plan is to make all roughly 1 lakh viable PACS multi-purpose rural service centres with 27+ services (credit, insurance, LPG, CSCs, fertiliser and seeds, veterinary care).
- UCB changes since 2021: no RBI approval for extra branches inside the approved area, doorstep banking, bigger housing loans, and coverage under CGTMSE.
White Revolution 2.0
- Goal: 50% rise in milk procurement over five years.
- 25,282 new Dairy Cooperative Societies registered across 31 States/UTs.
- SPCDF (Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation) is linking 20+ lakh dairy farmers.
Announcements
- A new Cooperative Life Insurance Company will be set up.
- Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-model ride-hailing service, will reach 500 cities in two years.
About the Ministry
- Created on 6 July 2021 to give cooperatives a separate administrative, legal and policy setup; earlier the subject sat with the Agriculture Ministry.
- Minister: Amit Shah (also Home Minister); Secretary in 2026: Ashish Kumar Bhutani.
Legal framework
- Cooperation is a State subject: Entry 32, List II, Seventh Schedule.
- 97th Constitutional Amendment, 2011 inserted Part IX-B (Articles 243-ZH to 243-ZT) and made forming cooperatives a Fundamental Right under Article 19(1)(c).
- Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 covers multi-state bodies; it was amended in 2023 for stronger governance, transparency and elections.
- State cooperative acts govern societies working within one state.
Cooperative tiers (approximate counts)
| Type | Role | Number |
|---|---|---|
| PACS | Village-level short-term farm credit and inputs | ~1 lakh |
| DCCBs | District banks that finance and supervise PACS | ~350 |
| State Cooperative Banks | Apex banks passing NABARD funds to DCCBs | ~34 |
| UCBs | Banking for urban and semi-urban customers | ~1,500 |
| Dairy societies | Milk collection, processing, marketing | ~2.30 lakh |
Other forms include housing, consumer, producer, fisheries and sugar cooperatives.
Exam angle
- Ministry created: 6 July 2021; theme: Sahakar Se Samriddhi.
- Sahakar CBS was developed under NUCFDC, not by the RBI.
- Constitutional hooks: Entry 32 (State List), 97th Amendment, Part IX-B, Article 19(1)(c).
- Related terms: e-PACS, NCD 3.0, SPCDF, White Revolution 2.0.