In a significant step towards strengthening data-driven policymaking for India’s cooperative sector, the Ministry of Cooperation (MoC) has initiated a Rapid Survey on Functional Cooperatives (RSFC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The proposed survey aims to estimate Gross Value Added (GVA), Gross Value of Output (GVO), and employment generation across major cooperative sectors at the national level.
MoSPI has agreed in principle to conduct the survey based on a list frame of Functional Cooperatives (FCs) to be provided by the Ministry of Cooperation. The exercise seeks to bridge long-standing data gaps related to the economic contribution and employment potential of cooperatives, a sector widely acknowledged as a pillar of India’s rural and agricultural economy.
The cooperative sector plays a vital role in agricultural production, rural development, housing, employment generation, and poverty alleviation. Despite its wide footprint, comprehensive and comparable data on the sector’s output and workforce remains limited. The proposed RSFC is expected to provide reliable estimates that will help policymakers better assess the sector’s true economic impact and design targeted interventions.
The sampling frame for the survey will be drawn from the National Cooperative Database (NCD), ensuring broad and systematic coverage. The survey will include both primary cooperatives and their federations spanning 30 sectors. These sectors have been broadly classified into Credit Cooperatives, Housing Cooperatives, Producer Cooperatives, Marketing Cooperatives, Social Sector Cooperatives, and Multipurpose Cooperatives.
To enable trend analysis and comparative assessment, the survey is designed to capture data for two reference years, FY 2020–21 and FY 2023–24. This approach is expected to provide insights into structural changes within the cooperative ecosystem, particularly in the post-pandemic period.
According to the proposed timeline, the Rapid Survey on Functional Cooperatives is scheduled to be launched in April 2026 and will have a duration of six months. The findings from the survey are expected to feed into national accounts and employment estimates, thereby improving the overall statistical representation of the cooperative sector.
As part of the preparatory process, MoSPI has uploaded the Draft RSFC Schedule of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector (ASUSE) 2026 on its official website for wider stakeholder consultation. Researchers, policymakers, academic institutions, industry bodies, and members of the public have been invited to review the draft questionnaire and offer suggestions on its structure, content, and coverage.
MoSPI has emphasized that stakeholder inputs will play a crucial role in enhancing the quality, coverage, and policy relevance of the final survey instrument. Suggestions and comments may be submitted in the prescribed format to the designated email addresses, tc.dpd@mospi.gov.in and nssocpd.coord@mospi.gov.in by February 16, 2026.
The draft schedule and feedback format are available on the MoSPI website. Officials believe that the initiative will mark a key milestone in building a robust statistical foundation for India’s cooperative movement and reinforcing its role in inclusive economic growth.