Dear friends,
On behalf of National Cooperative Union of India, I would like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year 2021. May the New Year bring lots of joy and happiness in your lives.
During the year 2020, the whole world including India was badly hit by corona pandemic which no one had ever visualized. The world economy was hit badly resulting in loss of jobs, and all economic activity came to a standstill. The cooperative sector too was also badly affected, but the cooperative organizations rose to the occasion to show tremendous resilience as they served the needs of the poor and deprived sections of the society in crisis in a best possible manner. Besides giving adequate monetary assistance, they also provided the much needed social service by distributing food, sanitizers and other essential commodities among the people. All cooperative organizations like NCUI, AMUL, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and MARKFEDs spared no effort to ensure that essential commodities reached the doorsteps of people in need despite disruptions in supply chain network as people have full faith in the products and services provided by cooperatives. In fact, cooperatives in India emerged stronger during the covid pandemic.
Our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat in the wake of corona pandemic provided many opportunities to cooperatives to emerge as key institutions for building a self-reliant India. The cooperatives are quite capable in implementation of various schemes and programmes under the 20 lakh crore Atmanirbhar package.
During the year 2020, NCUI continued to play an important role in strengthening the cooperative movement. The covid pandemic did not deter NCUI’s resolve to create a meaningful impact through its education and training programmes. Through effective use of online platforms, which provided an opportunity to connect with a large number of participants more particularly women and youth, the training programs expanded their horizons by touching upon new areas like digital technologies, cyber security, etc.
I am sure that with your support and guidance we will be able to successfully address the challenges and take the cooperative movement to a great heights.
I once again extend on my own behalf and on behalf of the Governing Council of NCUI, a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Jai Hind, Jai Sarkar
Dileep Sanghani
President