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Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Opinion In India's cooperative boom, women need to be at the centre, not the margins
Women have been written out of the history of cooperatives in India. While the formal history of cooperatives is more than 100 years old, dating back to 1904, when the Cooperative Credit Societies Act was passed in pre-independent India, the practice of cooperation and cooperatives' activities is considered more than 1,000 years old in the country. There are many documented examples from all parts of the country of resources like food grains or funds being pooled by groups to lend to members, who included men and women. Women were integral to kuries and bhishis, the earliest forms of chit funds, which originated in the Malabar region of Kerala and in Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Women formed the groups, managed finances and distributed funds. Those women who could not contribute funds contributed grains by saving a fistful of rice from every meal. However, women's contribution to these ancient cooperative practices is a footnote that has barely been examined. This may explain why women are relegated to the margins in modern cooperatives. There has been a renewed focus on cooperatives since the Covid pandemic and rising global challenges like climate change and conflicts, which have drawn attention to livelihoods and the need for inclusive growth and sustainable development amidst economic uncertainty. The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives with the theme 'Cooperatives Build a Better World'. The launch of the International Year of Cooperatives, was held in India in November 2024 — fittingly, as India has been taking the lead in promoting and strengthening cooperatives from the top levels of government since the new Ministry of Cooperation was formed in 2021. Cooperatives, by their very model of being people-centred enterprises, owned and controlled by members and based on their economic and social needs, are suitable for women, who face a higher threshold to enter the economy globally. This is particularly acute in India, which despite its rapidly growing economy has chronically low labour force participation by women. Women in India also face severe time poverty — females spend 16.4 per cent of their time on unpaid domestic work in a day, whereas the figure is just 1.7 per cent for males, the new Time Use Survey (January-December 2024) conducted by the National Statistics Office shows. This keeps them from participating in paid work. India has one of the largest cooperative movements in the world, with about 8.5 lakh cooperatives in the country, of which the share of women-only cooperatives is 2.52 percent, according to a 2023 report by Niti Aayog. The number is surprisingly low, considering women's participation in cooperatives has been highly visible, with successful initiatives like SEWA (a trade union with 3.2 million self-employed women), Amul (3.6 million women dairy farmers as members) and Lijjat (which introduced decentralised production for 45,000 female members to produce and earn from home). Numerous studies show that cooperatives have helped rural women to improve their financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills, and increase their savings and household incomes. Aside from economic empowerment, India's experience shows that cooperatives have been instrumental in enabling women to gain social and political empowerment while also improving their access to essential services like banking, housing, insurance, health, nutrition, education and childcare. Cooperatives help women access social capital through networks of trust, reciprocity and collective action, which in turn help build resilience. Ministry of Cooperation data from 2023 showed that out of 24,264 women's cooperatives, only 10,806 were functional, while the rest were dormant or under liquidation. Madhya Pradesh had the highest number of women's cooperatives, followed by Rajasthan, Assam and Telangana. The ministry has taken initiatives to support women's participation in mixed cooperatives, where the average male-to-female ratio is 74:26, and there is persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. New guidelines mandate the reservation of two seats for women on the board of multi-state cooperative societies and the presence of women directors on the board of primary agricultural credit societies. The ministry is also providing affordable loans to women's cooperatives along with training and business expansion workshops. It is not yet known how effective these initiatives have been but they may not be enough to plug the gaps. The unusually high number of dormant women's cooperatives (11,869), demonstrates that women face barriers in maintaining and sustaining them. Most women's cooperatives are small, have limited resources and are nearly invisible to policymakers. Women members have limited access to education, skills training and financial literacy. They are also restricted by cultural norms like the burden of unpaid work and limited mobility, particularly in rural areas. A 2021 study on a women's dairy cooperative in Punjab brought out how members were lacking in confidence and decision-making skills and sought constant handholding from official functionaries for the administration of their cooperative. Most women's cooperatives need professional support and supervision to establish themselves and continue to function effectively, show studies by SEWA. There are green shoots of hope for women's cooperatives. Increased digitisation is expanding access to markets for women while growing recognition of the care economy by policymakers addresses women's time poverty by advocating for care services and infrastructure. Cooperatives have the potential to transform rural economies and to empower women. The International Year of Cooperatives provides the impetus to put the necessary frameworks in place.
The Print
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Print
Swiggi Instamart to create dedicated ‘cooperative' category on its platform, signs MoU
After the MoU, the products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy, the Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement on Saturday. New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): Online food ordering and delivery major Swiggy Instamart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Cooperation to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. The food delivery platform will create a dedicated 'Cooperative' category on its platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, and handicrafts. The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy's digital platform and outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy's Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. This collaboration will facilitate cooperatives in connecting with new-age consumers through new-age technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence. In view of the United Nations' declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will engage in an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country, the Ministry said in the statement. The government has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector of the country. The Ministry has recently taken many initiatives to provide access to market to the cooperative produce, including the organic produce from the cooperative sector. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Print
Swiggy Instamart to create dedicated ‘cooperative' category on its platform, signs MoU
After the MoU, the products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy, the Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement on Saturday. New Delhi [India], April 26 (ANI): Online food ordering and delivery major Swiggy Instamart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Cooperation to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. The food delivery platform will create a dedicated 'Cooperative' category on its platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, and handicrafts. The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy's digital platform and outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy's Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. This collaboration will facilitate cooperatives in connecting with new-age consumers through new-age technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence. In view of the United Nations' declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will engage in an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country, the Ministry said in the statement. The government has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector of the country. The Ministry has recently taken many initiatives to provide access to market to the cooperative produce, including the organic produce from the cooperative sector. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
India.com
26-04-2025
- Business
- India.com
Swiggy Instamart to Support Cooperatives With New Dedicated Platform Section- Details
New Delhi: Swiggy Instamart, a leading online food ordering and delivery platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Cooperation to support cooperative brands in marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. As part of the agreement, products from Bharat Organics and various cooperative dairy brands will soon be available on Swiggy's e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, the Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Swiggy will also introduce a dedicated "Cooperative" category on its platform, highlighting products such as organic goods, dairy, millets, and handicrafts. The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy's digital platform and extensive outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy's Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. This collaboration will help cooperatives connect with new-age consumers through modern technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence. In view of the United Nations' declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will run an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country, the Ministry added. The government has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector in the country. Recently, the Ministry has introduced several measures to provide market access to cooperative products, including organic produce from the cooperative sector.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Swiggi Instamart to create dedicated 'cooperative' category on its platform, signs MoU
Online food ordering and delivery major Swiggy Instamart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Cooperation to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. After the MoU, the products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy, the Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement on Saturday. The food delivery platform will create a dedicated "Cooperative" category on its platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, and handicrafts. The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy's digital platform and outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy's Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. This collaboration will facilitate cooperatives in connecting with new-age consumers through new-age technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence. In view of the United Nations' declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will engage in an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country, the Ministry said in the statement. The government has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector of the country. The Ministry has recently taken many initiatives to provide access to market to the cooperative produce, including the organic produce from the cooperative sector.
