When Indian Cooperative was launched 15 years ago, few believed it would prove to be a viable venture. The cooperative sector was reluctant to seek media exposure, while mainstream media largely ignored it, considering it of little significance. Yet, the Indian Cooperative team saw what many others failed to recognise: the enormous potential of cooperatives to organise people, empower communities and drive economic growth.
We believed in this potential long before it received the national attention it enjoys today under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah. With that conviction, we moved ahead, overcoming considerable odds.
In the early days, obtaining news from the sector was a challenge. Many cooperatives viewed the media with suspicion, fearing that even minor shortcomings would be used to tarnish their reputation. Senior cooperative leaders often pointed out that corporate frauds rarely resulted in the entire corporate sector being branded corrupt. Yet, when a cooperative entity was found on the wrong side of the law, the impression often created was that the entire cooperative movement was tainted.
Our first task was to win the sector’s trust and demonstrate that Indian Cooperative was there to represent its concerns, highlight its achievements and recognise its contribution to the country. We were convinced that cooperatives were not merely business entities but powerful instruments for bringing people together, pooling their strengths and creating prosperity from the grassroots upwards.
Today, this potential is receiving recognition at the highest levels of government. The national emphasis on cooperation, reflected in the vision of Sahakar Se Samriddhi, has brought renewed attention to the role cooperatives can play in transforming rural and urban India.
Against this backdrop, Indian Cooperative will organise the Indian Cooperative Summit & Excellence Awards 2026 on November 19 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, bringing together more than 300 senior leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from across the country’s cooperative sector.
The national-level gathering will mark an important milestone in Indian Cooperative’s 15-year journey of reporting on and highlighting developments in the cooperative movement. It aims to provide a common platform for cooperative leaders to exchange ideas, discuss emerging challenges and explore opportunities for strengthening the sector.
Representatives from the Union Ministry of Cooperation, national-level cooperative federations, Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), State Cooperative Banks (StCBs), Multi-State Cooperative Societies and other prominent cooperative institutions are expected to attend. The gathering is expected to bring together the sector’s leading voices at a time when cooperatives are gaining greater prominence in India’s economic and institutional development.
A major highlight will be the Indian Cooperative Excellence Awards 2026, which will recognise outstanding cooperative institutions for their performance, institutional growth, governance, innovation and contribution to the movement. The awards will cover key segments, including Urban Cooperative Banks, State Cooperative Banks and Multi-State Cooperative Societies.
The nomination process is underway, with October 20, 2026, set as the last date for submissions. No decision has yet been taken on whether the deadline will be extended. An independent jury will evaluate the nominations, and the final award decisions will remain confidential until the announcement.
The Summit will also feature an exhibition platform at Bharat Mandapam, offering technology, fintech and IT companies an opportunity to showcase solutions relevant to cooperative institutions. Sudhan Gold and KGreen Consulting & Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. have already confirmed their participation as Exhibition Partners, with more organisations expected to join.
For Indian Cooperative, the Summit is also an occasion to acknowledge those who supported its journey and recognise institutions that have helped translate the cooperative movement’s potential into tangible achievements. Fifteen years ago, the portal backed a sector whose wider significance remained largely unrecognised. Today, the growing national emphasis on cooperation reinforces the conviction with which it began.
The Summit and Awards seek to celebrate institutional excellence, encourage healthy competition and foster greater collaboration across the cooperative movement, while recognising those who will help carry it towards a more prosperous and inclusive future.
Further details about the Summit, awards and participation are available at https://summit.indiancooperative.com/
