Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 19 (HBTV): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday chaired a review meeting of the Cooperation Department, emphasising the need to provide easy and affordable loans to small and marginal farmers.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister stressed that prosperity could be achieved through cooperation and called for a detailed action plan for the Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana. He directed officials to enhance the loan distribution capacity of cooperative banks and to modernise their branches.

He also urged an increase in storage capacity and the promotion of private investment, signalling significant reforms in the state's cooperative policy. Highlighting recent achievements, the Chief Minister noted that by 2025, cooperative banks in the state had distributed loans amounting to over INR 23,000 crore.

The digital transformation of MPACS committees is progressing, with computerisation underway in more than 5,000 committees. Additionally, CM Yogi directed that direct recruitment in the cooperative sector be conducted through IBPS to improve service delivery.

He also announced the construction of warehouses with capacities ranging from 500 to 1,000 metric tonnes, with preparations for the grain storage scheme ongoing in 16 districts.

Concluding the meeting, CM Yogi said, ‘Through cooperation alone will the dream of a self-reliant farmer be realised.’

Meanwhile, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah addressed the Maha Sammelan on the Role of Cooperatives in Building a Viksit Bharat on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The event was organised by the Gujarat State Cooperative Federation and attended by several dignitaries, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

In his address, Shah said the United Nations had designated 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives. According to an official release from the Ministry of Cooperation, he remarked that the term ‘cooperative’ is as relevant to the global context today as it was in 1900.

Shah noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a nationwide revival of the cooperative movement began in 2021. He said this led to the decision to inaugurate the International Year of Cooperatives from India itself.

He added that two guiding principles — ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ and The Role of Cooperation in Viksit Bharat — were presented as part of this national initiative, with the ongoing conference in Gujarat being a key component.

Shah emphasised that the benefits of reform in the cooperative sector must reach the grassroots, especially Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and farmers. He called for efforts to enhance awareness, training, and transparency across all cooperative institutions.

He also highlighted the government's focus during the International Cooperative Year on the themes of ‘Science of Cooperation’ and ‘Science in Cooperation’. Reflecting on the history of India’s cooperative movement, he said it had once flourished during the freedom struggle but had since declined in many regions.

He asserted that it is everyone’s responsibility to revitalise and expand the cooperative movement in every state and district. He also noted that a fourth tier had been added to the long-standing global three-tier cooperative structure.

Shah stressed the need to strengthen cooperative institutions at the primary, district, state, and national levels to ensure inclusive development. He concluded by stating that the International Year of Cooperatives must be utilised to advance this national agenda.

(ANI)