Marking the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has reaffirmed its central role in strengthening India’s cooperative movement by organising Regional Cooperative Excellence and Best Performance Awards ceremonies across states, recognising high-performing cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for their contribution to inclusive and sustainable development.
On December 23, 2025, NCDC organised a Regional Excellence and Best Performance Awards ceremony in Uttarakhand, where Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presented awards to seven outstanding cooperative societies from the state. The event highlighted how cooperatives have evolved beyond their conventional role as credit providers to become key grassroots institutions supporting farmers, women self-help groups and rural livelihoods.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said cooperatives are today active partners in delivering public services and development programmes at the village level. He pointed out that cooperative-run Common Service Centres are enabling digital access in remote areas, while Jan Aushadhi Kendras operated by cooperatives are ensuring affordable generic medicines, thereby strengthening last-mile welfare delivery. The democratic and community-based structure of cooperatives, he noted, makes them natural vehicles for inclusive growth and effective implementation of government schemes.
NCDC officials said the awards are designed to encourage cooperatives to adopt best practices, improve governance standards and enhance their social and economic impact. The Uttarakhand ceremony reflected the national vision of “cooperation-led prosperity” and showcased innovation, transparency and accountability emerging within the cooperative sector.
In a similar initiative aimed at energising the cooperative ecosystem in central India, NCDC’s Raipur Regional Office honoured nine institutions, seven cooperative societies and two FPOs, with the NCDC Regional Cooperative Excellence and Merit Awards 2025 at a function held in Raipur. The awards were presented by Dr C.R. Prasanna, IAS, Secretary (Cooperation), Government of Chhattisgarh, in the presence of senior state officials and cooperative leaders.
Those attending the Raipur ceremony included Kuldeep Sharma, IAS, Commissioner (Cooperation) and Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Chhattisgarh; Kinchit Joshi, Regional Director, NCDC Raipur; K.N. Kande, Managing Director of the Apex Bank, Raipur; and senior NCDC officials. Speaking on the occasion, Kinchit Joshi highlighted NCDC’s mandate as a statutory body under the Ministry of Cooperation, established in 1963 to promote, strengthen and professionally manage cooperatives across sectors.
He noted that NCDC has so far extended financial assistance of around Rs 4.33 lakh crore nationwide, supporting agriculture, allied activities and non-agricultural cooperative ventures, with a special focus on SC, ST and women-led cooperatives. Awards in Raipur were presented across categories such as Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, marketing cooperatives, women cooperatives, ministry initiative adopters and FPOs.
Dr Prasanna said such regional recognition would motivate cooperatives and FPOs to strive for excellence, improve competitiveness and contribute more effectively to state and national development. Together, the Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh events underscored NCDC’s pivotal role in nurturing a modern, resilient and people-centric cooperative movement during the International Year of Cooperatives 2025.
