The Public Relations and Publications Division of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) successfully organized the First Cooperative Youth Research Conference from March 20-21, 2025, to commemorate the International Year of Cooperatives.
The conference, themed “Cooperatives: Key for Achieving SDGs,” was sponsored by IFFCO, NCCF, Souharda Federation, Unnati, and Power Gilt. Out of 90 abstracts submitted by researchers under the age of 40, 20 were selected for presentation.
The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Sudhir Mahajan, Chief Executive of NCUI, in the presence of distinguished dignitaries, including Prof. C. Pitchai (Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu), Dr. Mallika Kumar (Associate Professor, SRCC), Ved Prakash (Executive Director, NCUI), Rajeev Sharma (Executive Director, NCUI), Ritesh Dey (Executive Director, NCUI), Dr. V.K. Dubey (Advisor, NCUI), Sanjay Verma (Advisor, NCUI & Conference Chair), and Dr. Shrija Sinha (Research Officer & Conference Secretary).
In his inaugural address, Dr. Mahajan emphasized the role of cooperatives in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting NCUI’s initiatives such as NCUI Haat, Coop Kitchen, and the NCUI Incubation Centre.
Mahajan encouraged young researchers to focus on the practical applications of their findings. Dr. Pitchai praised the uniqueness of the event in fostering young cooperative researchers, while Dr. Mallika Kumar stressed the importance of appointing “Youth Ambassadors of Cooperatives” in educational institutions to enhance awareness during IYC 2025.
The event commenced with a keynote address by Dr. Yashwant Dongre, Vice-Chancellor of Chanakya University and Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional Research Committee of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).
Dr. Dongre highlighted emerging research areas within the cooperative sector and emphasized the role of cooperatives in advancing sustainable development. He urged researchers to produce studies with global relevance in addressing local challenges.
A panel discussion on “Cooperatives, Youth, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” followed, featuring Prof. C. Pitchai, Dr. Mallika Kumar, and Sanjay Verma as panelists, moderated by Dr. Shrija Sinha. The discussion explored how cooperatives can drive youth engagement and contribute to the SDGs.
The conference featured four technical sessions with 16 research presentations covering diverse topics. Notable case studies included SEWA’s Srujan Cooperative, the VYBECOS Ponnurunni Model (an urban waste management cooperative), and AYCOOPS, a cooperative media initiative.
Other presentations examined the role of health cooperatives in advancing the SDGs, cooperatives’ contributions to climate change mitigation, their potential in India’s gig and platform economy, and the use of digital platforms and AI to enhance cooperative operations and sustainability.
During the valedictory function, Santosh Shukla, General Manager of IFFCO, served as the Chief Guest. He underscored the importance of youth engagement in IYC 2025 and praised NCUI’s Coop Connect initiative for popularizing the cooperative model among young people. Jyoti Saroop, Director of Unnati, also emphasized the need for youth to consider careers in the cooperative sector.
Participation certificates were distributed to all research scholars who presented papers at the conference, marking a successful conclusion to the event.
