Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah have said that the National Cooperative Policy (NCP) 2025 seeks to bring 50 crore people into the cooperative movement while tripling the sector’s contribution to India’s economy over the next decade through a comprehensive reform agenda.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Shah said the National Cooperative Policy, launched on July 24, 2025, lays down a 10-year roadmap for transforming the cooperative sector into a stronger pillar of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The policy is structured around six strategic pillars, 16 objectives and 83 recommendations designed to modernize cooperatives, improve governance, expand membership and strengthen their role in agriculture, rural development, finance, dairy, fisheries and allied sectors.
The Minister clarified that the policy itself does not provide for any separate budgetary allocation. Instead, it serves as a guiding framework for ministries, state governments and cooperative institutions to align existing schemes and future initiatives towards common national goals.
Shah highlighted the significant progress made since the Ministry of Cooperation approved the nationwide plan for strengthening the grassroots cooperative network on February 15, 2023. According to him, 38,138 new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Large Area Multi-Purpose Societies (LAMPS), dairy cooperative societies and fisheries cooperative societies have been registered across the country. Besides, 21,292 existing dairy and fisheries primary cooperative societies have been strengthened to improve their operational efficiency and service delivery.
The Minister said the expansion of PACS and other primary cooperatives is intended to ensure that every panchayat has access to a vibrant cooperative institution capable of providing credit, marketing, storage, input supply and other essential services to rural communities.
The government has also been working on computerization of PACS, diversification of their business activities and integration with digital platforms to improve transparency and efficiency.
Referring to White Revolution 2.0, Shah informed Parliament that the initiative has resulted in the registration of 25,282 new Dairy Cooperative Societies across 31 States and Union Territories. The programme is aimed at increasing milk procurement through the cooperative model while generating rural employment, enhancing farmers’ incomes and promoting women’s participation in dairy cooperatives.
The National Cooperative Policy was prepared after extensive consultations with stakeholders from across the cooperative ecosystem, including national federations, state governments, cooperative experts and practitioners.
It envisions cooperatives playing a larger role in achieving the goals of Sahkar Se Samriddhi by expanding their presence in agriculture, food processing, exports, storage, digital services and other emerging sectors.
The Ministry of Cooperation believes that a stronger and more inclusive cooperative movement will not only improve rural livelihoods but also contribute significantly to India’s long-term economic growth, employment generation and social development through member-owned and democratically governed institutions.
