Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker and Banas Dairy Chairman Shankarbhai Chaudhary, who was honoured with the KRIBHCO Sahakarita Shiromani Award, described cooperators as “white-clad cooperative saints”, saying many of them had devoted three to four decades of their lives to serving society.
Speaking at the 46th Annual General Body Meeting of Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) in New Delhi, Chaudhary said the cooperative movement was passing through a particularly favourable phase, with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah showing a strong commitment to supporting cooperatives and their members.
He said Shah’s background in the cooperative sector gave him a deep understanding of the movement and its challenges. “He is a Minister who has come from the sector and knows it thoroughly,” Chaudhary said, while referring to the initiatives being undertaken under the Ministry of Cooperation.
However, the most striking part of his address came when he looked at the gathering of cooperative leaders and said, “I see you all as white-clad cooperative saints.”
Explaining his description, Chaudhary said ordinary people generally remain occupied with their own families and personal responsibilities, whereas cooperators devote their time and energy to larger social causes. “You have given 30-40 years of your lives for the sake of society,” he said, adding that cooperators work for farmers, rural communities and the weaker sections of society.
He described the cooperative model as a lofty concept because it places collective welfare alongside individual interests. According to Chaudhary, this spirit of working for society is what distinguishes the cooperative movement and gives it a wider social purpose.
Chaudhary also said cooperatives were currently witnessing what could prove to be a golden period of growth. He pointed to the formation of new national-level cooperative institutions and initiatives in diverse sectors, including Sahakar Taxi, National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NOCL) and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL).
He said the cooperative movement now had considerable scope to diversify into new sectors and build institutions according to emerging requirements. “We can diversify cooperatives the way we want, and the government is there in all our efforts,” he said.
Chaudhary’s own record in the dairy cooperative sector lends weight to his advocacy of the cooperative model. Under his leadership, Banas Dairy has expanded its farmer-centric activities, with milk collection crossing one crore litres a day. Its initiatives span cattle-feed production, honey, animal healthcare, organic farming and embryo-transfer technology.
The dairy cooperative has also ventured into bio-CNG, converting cattle waste into clean energy, reflecting the growing diversification of India’s cooperative sector.
