At the Co-op Kumbh 2025 held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Anurag Dang, Secretary of the Youth Committee, National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), made a strong case for creating an enabling environment for youth participation in the cooperative sector.
Presenting on the theme “Youth in Cooperatives: Future Leadership & Innovation,” Dang highlighted both the immense potential and the procedural hurdles that limit young entrepreneurs from joining or starting cooperatives.
Dang pointed out that while India has over 8.6 lakh cooperatives and 30 crore members, youth participation remains alarmingly low-less than 10% of active members are under 35 years of age.
“If a young person wants to form a multi-state cooperative society (MSCS), they are required to bring together around 100 members from two states-with 50 members from each state. For a youth entrepreneur, this is an unrealistic expectation. The process must be simplified, just like forming an LLP, private limited, or producer company, where only a handful of members are enough,” he said.
Calling for reform and innovation, Dang suggested the creation of Digital Innovation Labs, Youth Cooperative Funds, and leadership development programmes to bridge the generational gap.
He concluded by stressing that youth are not just the future but the present force of the cooperative movement. “If we make the system simpler and more flexible, young innovators will transform cooperatives into vibrant, technology-driven enterprises that shape India’s cooperative future,” Dang said.