Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the two-day 17th Indian Cooperative Congress on July 1 in the national capital and launch an e-commerce platform NCUI Haat for cooperative products.
Modi will also unveil a cooperative extension and advisory services portal, focusing on a ‘learning management system’ that provides information and services for cooperative members, leaders, managers and the general public. The prime minister will also unveil a book on ‘Cooperative Growth and Trends in India’, a souvenir on cooperative movement, training modules on “Members’ role in cooperative” and “Governance in cooperatives”, besides a film on the initiatives of the Cooperation Ministry.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will preside over the inaugural session of the Congress — organised by the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) — that will focus on the theme “Amrit Kaal — Prosperity through cooperation for a vibrant India”. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be a chief guest at the valedictory function on July 2. Chemical and Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala will also be present. “The objective of the Congress is to discuss and deliberate upon the key issues, confronting the cooperative sector and chalk out an effective roadmap for the ‘Amrit Kaal’,” NCUI President and IFFCO Chairman Dileep Sanghani said in a press conference here.
The prime minister will launch NCUI’s e-commerce platform ‘NCUI Haat’ for cooperative products. This will facilitate capacity-building support in registration, branding and promotion of products free of cost, he said. The prime minister’s inaugural address will give a new direction and guidance to the cooperatives working in different fields. The event will be attended by not only 3,500 delegates of cooperative organisations from all over the country but also from across the globe, Sanghani added. This year’s Indian Cooperative Congress coincides with the International Day of Cooperatives, which is celebrated on the first Saturday of July annually, said International Cooperative Alliance Asia-Pacific (ICA-AP) President and KRIBHCO Chairman Chandra Pal Singh Yadav.
Representatives from eight countries — including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Malaysia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea — will attend the event. Besides, representatives from 34 countries, who are members of ICA, will join the event virtually. The technical sessions will focus on some key issues: cooperative legislation and policy reforms; cross-sectoral collaboration for strengthening cooperative movement; strengthening cooperative education, training and research; ease of doing business for competitive cooperative business enterprises; innovation and technology for cooperative governance; promoting gender equality and social inclusion; and importance of cooperative credit system in the Indian economy.
