The Ministry of Cooperation is set to launch Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-based mobility initiative, at a formal programme scheduled to be held on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at the Plenary Hall of Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event will be inaugurated by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah, who will attend as the Chief Guest and address the gathering.
The launch function is scheduled for 3.00 pm and will be live-streamed on the Ministry’s official YouTube and Facebook platforms to ensure wide outreach and public participation.
Bharat Taxi is being positioned as a key step in the government’s efforts to expand the cooperative movement into emerging and technology-driven service sectors, particularly urban and semi-urban mobility. The initiative is expected to introduce a cooperative-led alternative within the app-based taxi ecosystem, with a focus on affordability, transparency and equitable income opportunities for driver-members.
According to officials in the Ministry of Cooperation, Bharat Taxi aligns with the government’s broader vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi”, which seeks to empower citizens through cooperative ownership models while ensuring sustainable livelihoods. The project reflects the Ministry’s push to diversify cooperatives beyond their traditional presence in agriculture, dairy, fisheries and credit, and to make them active participants in modern service industries.
Amit Shah is expected to highlight the role of cooperatives in India’s economic transformation and their growing relevance in sectors driven by digital platforms and innovation. The Minister has consistently emphasised that cooperatives must evolve with changing market dynamics and adopt technology to remain competitive while retaining their people-centric ethos.
Bharat Taxi is also expected to contribute to employment generation by offering drivers an ownership-based model that reduces dependence on private aggregators. Officials indicate that the initiative aims to ensure fair pricing mechanisms, transparent commissions and collective decision-making through cooperative governance structures.
The Ministry of Cooperation, established in 2021, has undertaken several reform-oriented measures to strengthen India’s cooperative ecosystem. These include digitalisation of cooperative institutions, policy simplification, capacity building, and the creation of new national-level cooperative entities in areas such as exports, seeds and organic products. The proposed launch of Bharat Taxi marks a further step in extending cooperative principles to service-based and consumer-facing platforms.
Observers note that the initiative could serve as a template for future cooperative ventures in sectors such as logistics, e-commerce and urban services, where platform dominance has traditionally been concentrated in private hands. By leveraging technology and collective ownership, Bharat Taxi is expected to test the viability of cooperatives in highly competitive digital markets.
The launch programme is expected to be attended by senior officials, cooperative leaders and invited stakeholders from across the country.
