18-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
India to lead UN's International Year of Cooperatives 2025; Amit Shah unveils PACS-driven reform plan
AHMEDABAD: In a high-stakes address at the Maha Sammelan in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Union Minister Amit Shah declared India's lead role in the UN-designated International Year of Cooperatives 2025.
Linking grassroots reform with global recognition, Union Minister Amit Shah on Sunday outlined a nationwide revival plan focused on strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), promoting tech-driven transparency, and enhancing citizen participation. With 57 initiatives already in motion and a target to establish 2 lakh PACS by 2029, Shah said the Centre is positioning the cooperative movement as a key pillar of Viksit Bharat.
Kicking off the address, Shah highlighted the global spotlight on cooperatives, announcing that the United Nations will mark 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives. He underscored that the term 'cooperative' remains as relevant today as it was in the 1900s, with India set to lead this international movement, an initiative launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 to revive India's fading cooperative sector.
Tying India's domestic reforms with global developments, Shah noted that the country had introduced two core principles, Sahkar se Samriddhi and The Role of Cooperation in Viksit Bharat, as pillars of the cooperative renaissance.
"Today's conference in Gujarat," he said, "is a direct outcome of this broader national effort." He stressed that revitalising the cooperative sector must begin at the grassroots, particularly by empowering Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and farmers. Without transforming these foundational units, broader reforms would remain ineffective.
