The jury meeting for the Indian Cooperative Summit & Excellence Awards 2026 was held on Thursday at the Press Club of India in New Delhi to review nominations received from across the cooperative sector, including Urban Cooperative Banks, State Cooperative Banks, credit cooperatives and other cooperative institutions.
After detailed deliberations on the selection criteria and the performance of nominees, the jury members decided to hold the final meeting to select the awardees on November 1, 2026.
During the meeting, jury members undertook a detailed, point-by-point examination of the nominations, assessing institutional achievements, contributions, financial performance, initiatives and overall impact on the cooperative movement. The deliberations focused on ensuring a fair, transparent and merit-based selection process.
The jury is headed by veteran cooperative leader Satish Marathe, who personally examined the nominations and closely reviewed the credentials and achievements submitted by participating institutions.
He guided the deliberations, emphasising that institutions should be recognised on the basis of their actual contributions and performance. Marathe particularly stressed institutional growth and the strategies adopted to achieve it.
Laxmi Das, President of the National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies (NAFCUB), also actively participated in the deliberations, offering several valuable suggestions and observations to strengthen the evaluation process before the final selection.
Dass strongly emphasised that the awardee must be an institution recognised by the cooperative sector for its proven performance, with unimpeachable credentials that leave no room for doubt.
Ajay Jha, Editor of Indian Cooperative, participated in the discussions, sharing his editorial perspective on the nominations and highlighting the importance of recognising meaningful initiatives, institutional achievements and innovations that are contributing to the growth of the cooperative sector.
Rohit Gupta, Principal Correspondent of Indian Cooperative, was also present during the meeting and assisted in the review and coordination of the awards process, bringing his understanding of developments across different segments of the cooperative movement into the discussions.
The meeting marked the second round of jury deliberations. During the first round, the nominations received from various institutions underwent preliminary scrutiny.
In Thursday’s meeting, the jury carried out a more detailed assessment of the shortlisted entries. However, no final decision has yet been taken, and the concluding meeting on November 1 will determine the final list of awardees.
The selected awardees are scheduled to be announced on November 2. The respective institutions will subsequently be informed through email on November 3 or 4 and requested to nominate up to three delegates to attend the award ceremony and receive their honours.
The Indian Cooperative Summit & Excellence Awards 2026 will be held on November 19 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking 15 years of Indian Cooperative. Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol has consented to inaugurate the event.
The summit and awards aim to recognise outstanding cooperative institutions and individuals for their contributions to institutional growth, innovation, financial inclusion and the overall strengthening of India’s cooperative movement.
