Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah addressed the annual meeting of seven district-level cooperative societies, including Rajkot District Cooperative Bank Limited, in Rajkot, Gujarat today. On this occasion, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, along with many other dignitaries, were present.

In his address Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that ever since the country became independent, people working in the cooperative sector had been demanding the formation of a separate Ministry of Cooperation in the central government. He said that earlier, the vast cooperative network of the country was managed by a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture. But in 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi established a separate Ministry of Cooperation. Shri Shah stated that with just one decision of Modi Ji, millions of farmers, livestock farmers and fishermen across the country—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya—have gained the opportunity to have the profits of their hard work deposited directly into their bank accounts.

Shri Amit Shah said that the cooperative sector of Rajkot is an example not only for Gujarat but for the entire country. He stated that the cooperative sector should be further strengthened, and in every village, milk societies, service cooperative societies, and warehouse-equipped cooperative societies should be established. He mentioned that today the statues of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Vitthalbhai Radadiya were unveiled. He said that Vallabhbhai Patel not only fought for the issues of farmers in Rajkot but also for farmers across the country. He established the Rajkot District Cooperative Bank, strengthened it, and expanded it. Similarly, Vitthalbhai served this bank for a long time and transformed it into a bank that has won many NABARD awards. Shri Shah further said that in today’s program, under the bank’s accident insurance scheme, 22 people were given benefits, and under the bank’s Krishi Samaj Awards, 9 cooperative societies were provided motorcycles and compensation.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the true identity of any cooperative institution is that its profits should not go into the hands of capitalists but should be used for the welfare of farmers. He mentioned that the Rajkot District Cooperative Bank has received NABARD’s Best Performance Award five times and the Overall Best Performance Award four times. This, he said, is the result of the hard work of the district’s farmers and the leadership of all the directors and the chairman of the Rajkot District Cooperative Bank. He further stated that for 53 consecutive years, despite maintaining less than 1 per cent net NPA in audits, earning profits worth hundreds of crores of rupees, and providing loans at interest rates even lower than zero percent, the Rajkot District Cooperative Bank has successfully sustained its strong system.

Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Tribhuvan Sahkari University has been established in Anand, Gujarat. This is a national university dedicated to all disciplines of the cooperative sector. He stated that in the last three years, more than 60 initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen the cooperative sector. These include the computerization of PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies), construction of warehouses, water conservation projects, and dairy cooperatives, among others. Shri Shah said that as a result of these initiatives, the cooperative system—which had been weakening continuously for four decades—became stable in the very first year and grew stronger with a 12 per cent increase over the next two years.

Shri Amit Shah said that today, new cooperative societies, new dairy unions, and societies that process farmers' milk to earn profits are being established in every corner of the country. Through these, a robust computerized system has been implemented across India, including Gujarat, to return profits to farmers. He stated that in Gujarat, under the cooperative sector, a system has been established for all cooperative institutions to avail loans only from district cooperative banks and state cooperative banks. This system has been successfully implemented in Banaskantha and Panchmahal and is now being rolled out across the entire state of Gujarat.

Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that several new initiatives have been launched in the cooperative sector. To ensure farmers receive the full profit from their organic products, a cooperative institution named ‘Bharat Organic’ has been established, which buys organic goods from farmers, sells them, and returns the entire profit to the farmers. Furthermore, a new cooperative body for exports and another for seed have been set up. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi ji, the cooperative sector is progressing at an unprecedented pace.

Shri Amit Shah urged farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and adopt organic farming. He said that this would not only improve the health of the people of the country but also ensure higher profits for farmers. Shri Shah said that the Government of India has created a system to provide significant benefits to farmers practicing organic farming. He appealed to all farmers in Saurashtra to move towards organic farming and contribute to increasing India's share in the global organic product market.

On the auspicious occasion of Navratri, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah extended heartfelt greetings to the people of Gujarat for the worship of Maa Shakti and Navratri, stating that on this auspicious occasion, Modi ji has presented a significant gift to the public. He said that the decision to reduce GST from 18% to 5% on items used by farmers, food products, the automobile sector, and daily essentials is a major gift for the people of Gujarat and the country during Navratri and Diwali.

****

RK/VV/RR/PR/PS