Since the launch of NCDC’s flagship schemes such as Yuva Sahakar, Ayushman Sahakar, Dairy Sahakar, Nandini Sahakar, Swayam Shakti Sahakar, and Deerghavadhi Krishak Poonji Sahakar, NCDC has sanctioned and disbursed thousands of crores to support cooperatives across states. Under Yuva Sahakar, which supports new cooperatives with innovative ideas, a total of 34 cooperative societies across 12 states have been extended assistance.
While the sanctioned amount stood at Rs 49.47 crore, the disbursement was only Rs 4.21 crore, indicating a lag in fund release despite zero pending applications. States like Uttarakhand received the highest sanction of nearly Rs 40 crore, though actual release was less than Rs 0.35 crore, suggesting implementation bottlenecks.
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), functioning under the Ministry of Cooperation, has emerged as a major financial and developmental engine for India’s cooperative sector in recent years. Established in 1963, NCDC has expanded its ambit significantly since 2019 through a range of innovative schemes targeting diverse segments, from youth and women to fisheries and healthcare. A closer look at the latest figures reveals both the scale and the diversity of its outreach.
The Ayushman Sahakar scheme, designed to bolster healthcare cooperatives including AYUSH systems, sanctioned Rs 161.90 crore for nine cooperative societies, of which Rs 43.19 crore has been disbursed. Kerala led the way with Rs 108.96 crore sanctioned and Rs 26.25 crore released, followed by Tamil Nadu and Nagaland. In contrast, the Nandini Sahakar scheme, which aims to empower women through their cooperatives, remains without any sanctioned projects to date, highlighting a potential area for future policy intervention.
Dairy Sahakar, focused on modernizing and expanding dairy cooperatives in line with ESG goals, has seen the sanction of Rs 162.28 crore to 16 societies, but a total of Rs 177.72 crore has been released, a figure higher than sanctioned, possibly indicating ongoing or earlier commitments being honored. Gujarat leads with 13 implementing cooperatives receiving Rs 155.41 crore in sanctioned assistance, though only Rs 29.13 crore has been released so far.
Meanwhile, other states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Bihar appear to have received substantial disbursals without formal sanctioning under this scheme in the same period, hinting at supplementary financial flows or overlapping support.
Swayam Shakti Sahakar Yojna, a scheme exclusively catering to women SHGs through agricultural credit cooperatives, is perhaps one of the most ambitious, with six cooperatives receiving a staggering Rs 5,560.33 crore in sanctioned funds, out of which Rs 3,564.33 crore has already been released. Andhra Pradesh leads with Rs 4,000 crore sanctioned and Rs 2,800 crore released, while Kerala’s Rs 1,300 crore sanction has seen Rs 744 crore in actual disbursal.
Equally impactful is the Deerghavadhi Krishak Poonji Sahakar Yojna, designed to provide long-term credit via agricultural cooperatives. Here, five cooperatives have been sanctioned Rs 5,400.76 crore, and Rs 2,237.36 crore has been released. Telangana alone accounts for Rs 5,000 crore of the sanction, with Rs 2,000 crore already disbursed.
Parallelly, NCDC has played a critical role in boosting marine and fisheries infrastructure. A total of Rs 139.37 crore worth of projects for acquisition of deep-sea fishing vessels and setting up seafood processing infrastructure have been sanctioned across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala. However, only Rs 33.07 crore has been released so far, pointing again to slow implementation.
Notably, Maharashtra’s Department of Fisheries received funds for both acquiring 14 deep-sea vessels and setting up a seafood processing unit at Colaba, Mumbai. Kerala’s Matsyafed-led integrated fisheries project alone received over Rs 20 crore in released funds, reflecting substantial state-level engagement.
The cumulative picture suggests that while NCDC’s schemes are ambitious and well-targeted, the gap between funds sanctioned and actually disbursed remains a recurring challenge.
Nonetheless, the Corporation’s role in catalyzing cooperative-led development, from women empowerment and dairy modernization to healthcare and deep-sea fisheries, underscores its centrality in realizing the Ministry of Cooperation’s vision for a robust and inclusive cooperative economy.
