Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has 8.48 lakh cooperative societies, highlighting the massive scale of the country’s cooperative ecosystem.
According to data from the National Cooperative Database (NCD), 6.59 lakh cooperative societies are functional, while 1.41 lakh are non-functional and 47,688 are under liquidation across the country.
Among the functional societies, 3.49 lakh cooperatives are running in profit, while 2.11 lakh are operating at a loss. The profit or loss status of 99,325 societies is not available, the minister said.
The data also shows that Maharashtra has the highest number of cooperatives with 2.25 lakh societies, followed by Gujarat with 86,519 and Karnataka with 46,969 societies. States such as Bihar, Rajasthan, and Telangana also have a significant cooperative presence.
Shah said the figures underline the critical role of cooperatives in strengthening rural economies, particularly in areas such as agriculture, credit, marketing and community development.
He added that the government is focusing on revitalising non-functional societies and strengthening transparency through digital platforms to further boost the cooperative sector.