The Cooperative Week is being celebrated across India falling in the week when the first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was born. From small cooperatives to big ones- all see this as an opportunity to boost cooperatives spreading the message of its inclusive nature through the world.
The connection between cooperative and Nehru was beautifully captured by IFFCO MD Dr U S Awasthi on the occasion of Nehru Memorial Lecture that it organizes every year.
“In 1956 a historic decision was taken by India’s first Prime Minister to create such a huge network of cooperatives across India that even if some of them died out there would still be some left to spread the great message hidden in the cooperative philosophy”, MD explained.
Nehru knew well that the smallest and the weakest could find their voice only through cooperatives and he wanted to make it a part of the country’s economic planning.
“On the occasion of laying down the foundation stone of Nagarjuna Dam Nehru said if you light one lamp be sure that other’s lamp is not extinguished. IFFCO today follow this very spirit and that is why we have the Nehru Memorial Lecture every year”, Dr Awasthi explained.
Towards making Nehru’s grand vision for cooperative come true, IFFCO has today enlisted close to 4 crore farmers in its fold and about thirty thousand cooperative societies are associated with it, underlined IFFCO MD.
Besides Nehru, Awasthi also lauded former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and called her the architect of the changing Indo- Chinese relations. He also went a little personal when he referred to Sudhakar Rao the husband of Ms Rao and called both of them acting as friend, philosopher and guide to each other. His wife Ms Rekha Awasthi who was sitting in the audience was listening to her husband expound a lofty marital philosophy with interest.
