On February 2, 2025, Sahakar Bharati Delhi Pradesh, United Credit Cooperative Society Federation Delhi, and Sahkarita Prakoshth Delhi jointly organized the Sahakar Milan & Samvad Program at Gandhi Darshan, Birsa Munda Maidan, Rajghat, Delhi, to celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) 2025. The event was graced by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as the chief guest, along with Haryana’s Minister of Cooperation Arvind Sharma.
NAFED Director Ashok Thakur, Sahakar Bharati National Vice President and Credit Society Federation President Sunil Gupta, Sahkarita Prakoshth Convenor Sunil Kumar Goyal, Sahakar Bharati Delhi Pradesh General Secretary Shiv Shankar Gupta, Vice President Ashok Chhibber, NEFSCB Director and Panipat Urban Cooperative Bank Chairman O.P. Sharma, Credit Federation General Secretary Vishnu Pal Bansal, Vice President Pravesh Kumar Gupta, and other prominent dignitaries were also present on the occasion. Over 500 officials and employees from various cooperative societies across Delhi participated.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant highlighted the significant contribution of cooperatives to the Indian economy and praised the Union Ministry of Cooperation’s initiatives to strengthen the sector. He, along with Haryana Minister Arvind Sharma, unveiled the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 calendar and diary.
Speaking at the event, Sahakar Bharati National Vice President Sunil Gupta elaborated on the importance of cooperatives in achieving India’s $3 trillion economy goal. He urged for a commitment to developing Delhi’s cooperative sector following the successful models of Gujarat and Maharashtra. NAFED Director Ashok Thakur shared insights on key cooperative sector initiatives by the central government.
Sunil Goyal and Pravesh Kumar Gupta highlighted the challenges faced by Delhi’s cooperative sector, while Haryana’s Cooperation Minister Arvind Sharma detailed the government’s major reforms over the last four years, including computerization of PACS, formation of three national-level cooperative institutions, transformation of PACS into multipurpose entities, and amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Act.
Several key figures played a crucial role in the event’s success, including Vimla Kohli (Rajasthan Kohli Mahila Credit Cooperative Society), Reema Tyagi (Janhit Cooperative Society), Vimal (Rohilla Tank Credit Cooperative Society), and Chandraprakash Rohilla (Rohilla Cooperative Society).
Others who contributed significantly were Roop Kishore Sharma (Maithili Cooperative Society), Surendra Sahu (Purvanchal Credit Society), Vinod Gupta (Avadh Sahu Credit Society), Vijay Kumar (Janki Cooperative Society), and Aditya Kumar (Sahukar Credit Society).
Additionally, Sandeep Kumar (Sarvajan Cooperative), Yashpal Chopra (Sahakar Credit Cooperative), Raghavendra Kumar Mishra (Jai Shri Hari Credit), Rustam Bali (Bhai Mati Das Credit Society), Anil Kumar Mathur (Jeevan Sanchay Credit), Kavindra Pandey (Akshay Dhan Credit), Arun Kumar Garg (New Amar Jyoti Credit), and Prempal (Kaushambi Credit Cooperative) played important roles.
As a token of appreciation, the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 calendar and diary were presented to the guests. The event reinforced the importance of cooperatives in economic development and called for greater participation in the cooperative movement.
