Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a series of high-level review meetings recently to assess the progress of key national cooperative initiatives covering cooperative banking, organic agriculture and cooperative exports.
The meetings were attended by Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, NABARD Chairman Shaji K. V. and senior representatives of major cooperative institutions.
There were several attendees from the cooperative sector, including NUCFDC Chairman Jyotindra Mehta and COBI Chairman Ajay Patel. The total number of participants was around 20, according to one of the attendees, who described it as a crucial meeting. He further stated that a virtual follow-up meeting was subsequently held between senior officials of the Ministry of Cooperation and top executives of cooperative organizations to discuss the outcomes of the meeting chaired by Amit Shah.
Reviewing the cooperative banking sector, Shah emphasized the need to accelerate digital transformation through technology adoption, stronger governance systems, enhanced cyber security and expanded digital banking services.
Discussions focused on the proposed Cooperative Bank of India (COBI), Sahakar Sarathi Private Limited (SSPL) and the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC), which are expected to play a crucial role in modernizing cooperative banking infrastructure.
The review highlighted efforts to promote indigenous technology solutions and strengthen digital infrastructure across urban and rural cooperative banks. Progress was also assessed on Bank.in, a dedicated banking domain for cooperative banks, and the integration of MuleHunter.AI with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to improve fraud detection and cyber security capabilities.
It was noted that NUCFDC is working towards bringing all Urban Cooperative Banks onto a common platform and expanding its membership base to provide wider access to technology, shared services and institutional support.
Meanwhile, SSPL has already rolled out Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) services and e-KYC facilities in selected cooperative banks and aims to cover 100 cooperative banks by August 2026, significantly reducing digital banking costs.
Shah directed all Rural Cooperative Banks to join SSPL and all Urban Cooperative Banks to become members of NUCFDC to leverage their services and strengthen the sector.
Reviewing the operations of National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), Shah called for a major expansion in the procurement of organic produce from farmers.
He stressed the importance of identifying organic producers, strengthening testing, certification and quality assurance systems, and creating stronger market linkages to ensure better returns for farmers while promoting sustainable agriculture.
In a separate review of National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), Shah urged greater efforts to connect cooperative products with global markets. He emphasized expanding export opportunities, identifying new international destinations and enhancing the competitiveness of cooperative products.
The meetings also reviewed strategies to promote the Co-op Mark brand through government agencies, retail networks and digital platforms.
Reaffirming the vision of Narendra Modi for “Sahakar Se Samriddhi,” Shah said the future growth of the cooperative sector would be driven by digital innovation, financial inclusion, sustainable agriculture, stronger market access and global competitiveness.