India’s cooperative movement marked a defining year of consolidation, expansion and reform as the country stepped into the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, reaffirming its commitment to community-led and inclusive development.
Rooted in the civilisational idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and guided by the vision of Sahkar se Samriddhi, cooperatives today stand at the centre of India’s rural economy, social inclusion and grassroots service delivery.
As per the National Cooperative Database, India now has more than 8.5 lakh registered cooperative societies, of which around 6.6 lakh are functional. These cooperatives serve nearly 32 crore members across 30 sectors, covering almost the entire rural landscape.
A major highlight of this growth has been the deepening participation of women, with nearly 10 crore women linked to cooperatives through self-help groups and allied institutions. From agriculture, dairy and fisheries to banking, housing and retail services, cooperatives have emerged as one of the largest organised economic networks in the world.
A significant thrust during the year was placed on revitalising Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, which form the backbone of rural credit. Through new model bye-laws adopted by most States and Union Territories, PACS have been enabled to undertake more than 25 business activities, expand their membership base, and improve transparency and governance.
Digital transformation has further accelerated this shift. Under a national computerisation programme, over 79,000 PACS were approved for integration onto a common ERP-based platform. More than 59,000 PACS are already using ERP software, hardware has been delivered to over 65,000 societies, online audits completed in more than 42,000, and over 32,000 PACS are now fully enabled as e-PACS. These reforms have brought speed, accountability and real-time financial reporting to institutions that were earlier paper-driven.
The cooperative footprint has also expanded through the registration of over 32,000 new multipurpose PACS, dairy and fisheries cooperatives, aimed at ensuring coverage of every panchayat and village. PACS are increasingly functioning as multi-service centres, integrated with flagship government schemes. Thousands have been converted into Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, Common Service Centres, Janaushadhi Kendras, fuel retail outlets and water management committees, significantly enhancing their role in local service delivery and income generation.
Market access and value-chain integration received renewed focus through farmer producer organisations and fish farmer producer organisations promoted by cooperatives.
Thousands of FPOs and FFPOs have been formed or strengthened with financial support, enabling farmers and fishers to access markets, processing facilities and institutional credit. In parallel, a pilot programme for RuPay Kisan Credit Cards through cooperative banks has expanded liquidity and entrepreneurship at the village level.
One of the most ambitious initiatives has been the rollout of the world’s largest decentralised grain storage plan in the cooperative sector. Storage godowns have already been completed in over a hundred PACS, creating more than 68,000 metric tonnes of capacity, with the model now extended to all cooperative societies. White Revolution 2.0 has further energised dairy cooperatives, with more than 20,000 new dairy cooperative societies registered to expand milk procurement and improve livelihoods, especially for women.
At the national level, three new multi-state cooperative institutions have reshaped India’s cooperative ecosystem. Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti has strengthened the seed supply chain under the Bharat Beej brand.
National Cooperative Organics Limited has unified organic farming and marketing under the Bharat Organics label. National Cooperative Exports Limited has taken cooperative produce to global markets, exporting nearly 14 lakh metric tonnes of agri-commodities worth over Rs.5,500 crore and distributing dividends to member societies.
Institutional capacity-building has also gained momentum with the establishment of Tribhuvan Sahkari University, large-scale training programmes, and expanded financial support by the National Cooperative Development Corporation, which disbursed nearly Rs.95,000 crore in each of the last two financial years.
Policy support through tax reliefs, revival of cooperative sugar mills, digital banking reforms and the launch of the National Cooperation Policy 2025 has further strengthened the sector.
Together, these initiatives underline how cooperatives are being repositioned as modern, transparent and multipurpose institutions, capable of driving inclusive growth, resilient livelihoods and participatory development as India moves towards Viksit Bharat 2047.