In a significant move aimed at strengthening women empowerment and advancing the vision of “Prosperity through Cooperatives,” the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with We Shakti Trust on December 19, 2025.
The collaboration seeks to enhance the socio-economic status of women and artisans, particularly in Rajasthan and other states, through structured capacity-building initiatives and sustained institutional support.
The MoU focuses on developing skills and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for women by leveraging cooperative frameworks, community-based models, and institutional partnerships. Through this partnership, NCUI and We Shakti Trust will jointly design and implement training programmes that combine traditional skills with modern competencies, ensuring long-term economic resilience for women-led groups and artisans.
We Shakti Trust is a social organisation working extensively in the areas of women empowerment, child education, and youth development. Its initiatives span skill-building programmes, mobile learning platforms, and sports-based interventions aimed at holistic community development.
The Trust places women at the centre of the household and community ecosystem, recognising that empowering women generates a multiplier effect that benefits families, children, and society at large.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Sudhir Mahajan, IAS (Retd.), Chief Executive of NCUI, and Ms. Pragya Yadav, Founder of We Shakti Trust, in the presence of officials from both organisations. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mahajan underlined NCUI’s commitment to cross-sectoral collaboration and its role as the apex body of the cooperative movement in India.
He emphasised that NCUI plays a pivotal role in capacity building, policy advocacy, and strengthening grassroots cooperatives, especially women collectives, to ensure inclusive growth and institutional sustainability.
Ms. Pragya Yadav highlighted the Trust’s ongoing efforts to empower women and self-help groups in Alwar and adjoining districts. She shared insights into skill development initiatives, exhibitions, and market-linkage efforts that have helped women gain financial independence and visibility for their products. She noted that partnering with NCUI would help scale these initiatives and deepen their impact through structured cooperative support.
Under the MoU, the collaboration will focus on skill training, digital literacy, awareness of social protection schemes, vocational education, and the formation and strengthening of cooperatives.
The partnership also aims to expand outreach through institutional and CSR linkages, promote sustainable livelihood models, and encourage informed participation of women in economic and cooperative decision-making processes.
This partnership marks an important milestone in promoting women-led growth and inclusive development. By combining NCUI’s institutional expertise with We Shakti Trust’s grassroots engagement, the initiative seeks to create scalable and sustainable solutions that align with national development priorities and further strengthen India’s cooperative movement.
