Prof. (Dr.) S. P. Singh, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University (TSU), has underlined the importance of purpose-driven leadership, ethical practices and institution-building as the cooperative university begins a new phase of growth aimed at strengthening professional management and leadership across India’s cooperative sector.
Singh made the observations while delivering the keynote address at a Round Table on “Business Values and the Future of Purpose-Driven Enterprises in India” at Hyatt Regency, Thrissur. The Round Table was convened by ESAF Small Finance Bank under the ESAF Chair for Business on Values at IRMA-TSU, in association with the ESAF Foundation and TSU.
The programme began with a message from Kerala Cooperation and Excise Minister M. Liju, which was read out by Dr. K. Paul Thomas, Founder, Managing Director and CEO of ESAF Small Finance Bank. The panel included Rana Alok Singh, Royston Braganza and Dr. Geemon Korah, with Prof. Sushanta Kumar Sarma moderating the discussion.
Prof. Singh stressed that purpose-led leadership can help organisations build institutions capable of delivering sustained social and economic impact. The emphasis on values, accountability and long-term institution-building is particularly relevant to cooperatives, where professional management has to remain closely aligned with member welfare and community development.
His appointment comes at a significant juncture for TSU. Prof. Singh, who has more than 34 years of experience in teaching, research and academic administration, including over two decades in leadership positions and 11 years as a Vice Chancellor, took charge as the head of India’s first national university dedicated exclusively to the cooperative sector in July 2026.
The university itself is entering an important expansion phase. Established through an Act of Parliament in 2025 by converting the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), TSU became operational in April 2025. Its first convocation was held in July 2026, when 302 students received graduate degrees and two were awarded PhDs.
TSU has already launched MBA programmes in Cooperative Management, Cooperative Banking and Finance, and Agribusiness Management. Its mandate, however, extends far beyond conventional degree education. The university is empowered to provide training and capacity building for cooperative employees and board members, standardise cooperative education, promote research and innovation, and develop distance and mass e-learning programmes.
Under its wider vision, TSU can establish sector-specific schools covering dairy, fisheries, rural credit, cooperative finance, cooperative law, audit and other fields. Its curriculum is envisaged to combine degrees, diplomas, certificates and need-based training, with increasing use of technology and e-learning.
The university has also begun building a nationwide academic network, with seven institutions already granted provisional affiliation, while its recent capacity-building initiatives have focused on strengthening the ability of cooperative training institutions to design need-based programmes and adopt inclusive pedagogy.
Prof. Singh’s emphasis on purpose-driven leadership could therefore add an important dimension to TSU’s mission: producing not merely technically competent cooperative managers, but ethical, socially conscious and innovation-oriented leaders.
With its IRMA legacy, expanding national network and new leadership, TSU has the potential to become a powerful knowledge and training hub, helping India’s cooperatives move from traditional administration towards professionally managed, technology-enabled and purpose-driven institutions.
