As the Union Cabinet on Wednesday announced its three "historical" decisions taken so far in the Cooperative sector, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said the sector was "ignored" for so many years, but for the "first time Modi government started strengthening it".
Shah's remarks came after the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for setting up and promoting three separate national-level multi-state cooperative societies--cooperative export society, cooperative society for organic products, and seed cooperative society.
"Cooperative is the only sector which touches crores of people and has the potential to bring about a positive change in their lives. But it was ignored for so many years, but for the first time, the Modi government started strengthening it. Today the cabinet has taken three important decisions in the interest of this sector," Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.
The three societies will be set up under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
Cabinet's approval for setting up and promoting a national-level multistate cooperative export society aimed at providing thrust to exports from the cooperative sector by acting as an umbrella organisation for carrying out and promoting exports.
The move will help unlocking the export potential of Indian cooperatives in global markets.
The multistate cooperative export society will be set up with support from relevant Ministries especially the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry through their export-related policies, schemes and agencies by following the 'Whole of Government Approach' for undertaking exports of all goods and services produced by cooperatives and related entities.
The proposed society will provide thrust to exports from the cooperative sector by acting as an umbrella organisation for carrying out and promoting exports.
The Cabinet's approval for a national-level cooperative society for organic products will help to manage the entire supply chain of organic products produced by cooperatives and related entities through member cooperatives.
The decision is taken to provide thrust to organic products from the cooperative sector by acting as an umbrella organisation for managing various activities related to the organic sector.
The national-level cooperative society for organic products will be set up with support from relevant Ministries especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/Doner) through their policies, schemes and agencies following the 'Whole of the Government Approach', said a Ministry Cooperation statement.
However, the third Cabinet approval to set up and promote a national-level multi-state seed cooperative society will help to increase the seed replacement rate, and varietal replacement rate, ensuring the role of farmers in quality seed cultivation and seed variety trials, production and distribution of certified seeds with a single brand name by utilizing the network of all levels of cooperatives.
The society will act as an apex organization for the production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds; strategic research and development; and to develop of a system for the preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds; through various cooperative societies across the country.
The national-level multi-state seed cooperative society will work with support from relevant ministries especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Seed Corporation (NSC) through their schemes and agencies following the 'Whole of the Government Approach'.
( With inputs from ANI )
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