During the CoopKumbh 2025 in New Delhi on Tuesday, P.V. Subbaiah Chowdhary, Chief General Manager of Citizen Cooperative Society, Hyderabad, highlighted the pressing challenges confronting India’s cooperative sector despite its remarkable growth in numbers.
Chowdhary pointed out that cooperatives, being vital economic enterprises, need a supportive legislative and policy environment.
However, several outdated laws and restrictive regulations continue to limit their autonomy and hinder their development. He emphasized that the cooperative movement can only thrive when policies are restructured to promote greater operational freedom and accountability.
The Citizen Cooperative Society official also drew attention to the inadequate infrastructure, especially in post-harvest technology, storage, marketing, and rural connectivity, which continues to affect the efficiency and competitiveness of cooperatives. Institutional weaknesses, lack of professional management, and poor human resource development have further compounded the problems.
Chowdhary expressed concern over low member participation, irregular elections, and excessive bureaucratic and political interference, which have eroded the democratic character of many cooperatives.
He urged for comprehensive reforms, modernization, and capacity-building measures to restore the cooperative sector’s vitality and ensure it remains a people-driven and transparent economic movement.
