Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the program to mark the completion of 4 years of the Ministry of Cooperation and 150^thbirth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Anand, Gujarat today. Shri Amit Shah launched the newly formed Multi State Co-operative body, Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation Limited, and also unveiled its logo. Hevirtually launched the expansion of Amul Cheese Plant at Kheda and state-of-the-art Chocolate Plant at Mogar. Union Minister of Cooperation also inaugurated the new office building of National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) in Anand, Maniben Patel Bhawan at National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Office Complex and dedicated the Ready to Use Culture Plant. Many dignitaries including Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri SP Singh Baghel and Union Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani were present on the occasion.

Addressing the event organized by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF), Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that today is a very important day because on this day Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was born in West Bengal. He said that Shyama Prasad Ji organized people to solve many types of problems of the country even before independence. He said that if Shri Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had not been there, Kashmir would never have been an integral part of India. Shri Shah said that it was Dr. Shyama Prasad Ji who gave the slogan that two Prime Ministers, two constitutions and two flags will not be acceptable in the country and sacrificed himself for Kashmir. He said that today West Bengal is also a part of India only because of Dr. Shyama Prasad Ji.

Shri Amit Shah said that in our country, cooperation has been existent as a tradition of our society since the Vedic period and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave a legislative form to this tradition and decided to create a separate Ministry of Cooperation for the first time in the country on this day 4 years ago. Prime Minister Modi breathed new life into more than 8 lakh 40 thousand societies connected with about 31 crore people. He said that from milk to banking, sugar mills to marketing and cash credit to digital payments, today co-operative societies are contributing to the economic development of the country with full potential.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Cooperative Ministry has taken more than 60 initiatives in 4 years of its formation. He said that all these initiatives are based on five P's - People, PACS, Platform, Policy and Prosperity. First, People –that the people of the country are the beneficiaries of all these initiatives. Second - PACS, that we are strengthening the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies. Third - Platform,that we have worked to provide digital and national platforms for every type of cooperative activity. Fourth - Policy, that the cooperative policy is to provide the maximum benefit to the members, and even in the salt production, profits will now go to the salt makers. Fifth - Prosperity, under which members like our 36 lakh sisters who work hard every day in Gujarat and 20 lakh sisters in other parts of the country. Due to which an annual turnover of 80 thousand crores is being achieved, which will cross one lakh crore next year and its profit is going directly into the accounts of these 56 lakh sisters. He said that prosperity is not of an individual but of the entire society, affluence is not of a few rich people but of the poor, labourers and farmers and with this belief Prime Minister Modi has taken these 60 initiatives.

Shri Amit Shah said that Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation will work to complete a cycle of organized market, input services, fair purchase of milk, difference in price and circular economy in the dairy sector. He said that on the lines of Amul, it will benefit the farmers of the country. Shri Shah said that a new model committee has been started in the form of Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society, which will become a strong cooperative movement like Amul for every laborer producing salt in the coming days. Shri Shah said that today Amul FMCG brand is not only the strongest brand in India but also in the world. He said that we have resolved to expand this culture of cooperation in the International Year of Cooperatives. Union Minister of Cooperation also said that only yesterday Tribhuvan Sahkari University has been established in the name of Tribhuvan Das Patel and today about 10 very big projects have also been started. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, 2 lakh new PACS, Cooperative University, National Cooperative Database, three national level cooperatives related to sale and production of grains and three national level cooperatives to be formed for the dairy sector, all these initiatives will greatly strengthen the cooperative movement of our country.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that we have to strongly implement three things, transparency, acceptance of technology and bringing the members of cooperative institutions at the center, in this International Year of Cooperatives. He said that unless there is transparency, cooperation cannot last long and the lack of transparency harms the spirit of cooperation.

Shri Shah said that wherever technology was not accepted, cooperation could not survive in the competition and the cooperative institution in which the interest of the members was not considered paramount, such institutions also could not survive. He said that in the International Year of Cooperatives all cooperative leaders should implement these three things in their areas of work and make them a culture of their work. Union Minister of Cooperation also called upon to spread this spirit to every district of the country.

Shri Amit Shah today virtually inaugurated the expansion of Amul's chocolate plant built at a cost of ₹ 105 crore at Tribhuvandas Food Complex, Mogar and Dr. Verghese Kurien Cheese Plant built at a cost of ₹ 260 crore in Khatraj. With the expansion of Amul's chocolate plant, the production capacity of this plant will increase from 30 tonnes to 60 tonnes per day. Along with this, UHT milk, whey-based drinks, mozzarella cheese, processed cheese packing, smart warehouse etc. have also been inaugurated in Dr. Verghese Kurien Cheese Plant.

Along with this, the Union Minister of Cooperation today inaugurated the Ready-to-Use Culture (RUC) of NDDB constructed at a cost of ₹ 45 crore, the newly constructed headquarters building of National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) at a cost of ₹ 32 crore and laid the foundation stone of the new office building of NDDB Headquarters, Anand.

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