Shah launches Co-op Varsity, Eyes India as Global Capital of Cooperation

In a landmark step for India’s cooperative movement, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah performed the Bhoomi Poojan of the country’s first cooperative university, Tribhuvan Sahkari University, in Anand, Gujarat, on July 5. The university is named in honour of Tribhuvandas Patel, a pioneer of India’s cooperative dairy revolution and founder of Amul.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Patel on this occasion, hailing his contribution to the empowerment of farmers and rural communities. Shah said that this university will end nepotism in cooperatives, usher in transparency, and ensure that only trained individuals find employment in the sector.

Spread across 125 acres and constructed at a cost of Rs 500 crore, Tribhuvan Sahkari University aims to fill the longstanding gap in cooperative education, training, research, and innovation. It will offer specialised instruction in accounting, marketing, policy-making, technical skills, and cooperative values, particularly for youth and marginalized communities such as Dalits, tribals, and women.

Highlighting the significance of this initiative, Shah said that the cooperative movement in India touches the lives of over 30 crore people, with 40 lakh workers and 80 lakh board members involved in various capacities. Yet, until now, the country lacked a comprehensive system to train personnel for this vast sector. Previously, cooperative staff received training post-recruitment, but with this university in place, job opportunities will be available only to those already trained.

He noted that 2 lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) are being established, with 60,000 to be created by the end of this year alone. These PACS will employ around 17 lakh people, creating an enormous demand for trained professionals, which the university will help fulfil.

Beyond workforce training, the university will also serve as a think tank developing five, ten, and twenty-five-year strategies, conducting data analysis, and promoting research and policy development in the cooperative field. It will foster innovation and unify training curricula across the country, transforming the cooperative model into a powerful grassroots economic movement.

Calling for the integration of cooperatives into educational syllabi, Shah noted that the CBSE has already included cooperation as a subject from classes 9 to 12, and encouraged other states like Gujarat to follow suit.

Paying tribute to Tribhuvandas Patel, Shah recounted how under the mentorship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he laid the foundation for the Kheda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union in 1946. That initiative grew into Amul, now a global dairy giant involving 36 lakh women, none of whom invested more than ?100. Patel’s leadership challenged exploitative private monopolies like Polson Dairy and created a people-centric alternative. His life, said Shah, exemplifies the immense nation-building power of the cooperative spirit.

The minister emphasized that the values of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family) and “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah” (may all be happy) form the moral foundation of India’s cooperative ethos. These ideals drive not only economic development but also social, environmental, and human welfare.

Shah concluded by urging cooperative training experts from across the country to contribute to the growth of Tribhuvan Sahkari University, positioning it as a global centre for cooperative education and leadership. With this institution, he said, India is poised to become the world’s cooperative capital.