Kurukshetra Magazine January 2023 - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Kurukshetra       January  2023 18
Dr. Ishita G. Tripathy
This article explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective of community development. The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may stress on universal coverage and providing a single unique identity to each 
cooperative; besides being technology-driven. A single portal and identity number for registration and all other business 
affairs; integration/convergence with other Ministries’ programmes, portals and efforts; and promoting and setting up 
of sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State and State cooperatives. An all-pervasive awareness programme about the 
cooperative movement and related model of socio-economic growth may be undertaken.
Cooperative Entrepreneurship
o attain the objective of all inclusive 
development, various community 
development approaches have been 
advocated by development planners 
and policy makers and have been implemented by 
State Governments and Union Administrations. 
Amongst those, a potent approach has been to tap 
the potential of cooperatives in the country and 
promote entrepreneurship amongst them to carry 
out effective and profitable community businesses. 
By the virtue of the principles on which they rest, 
cooperatives are successful in mobilising resources 
independently and utilising these for productive 
purposes. While the characteristics of cooperatives 
are homogeneous, the manifestation of cooperatives 
is heterogeneous. Cooperatives rest on the basic 
triple tenets of democracy, economic development 
and social mobilisation. The broad manifestations of 
cooperatives include short-term credit cooperatives 
like State Cooperative Banks (SCBs), District Central 
Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural 
Cooperative Societies (PACS), and long-term credit 
cooperatives like Primary Cooperative Agriculture 
and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and State 
Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development 
Banks (SCARDBs), etc.; commodity cooperatives in 
different products like dairy, oil, sugar, textiles ,etc. 
and service cooperatives like housing, transport, 
tourism, hospital cooperatives, etc. In India, one 
of the first examples of financial inclusion was the 
adoption of Cooperative Societies Act, 1904. Since 
then a long way has been traversed and with the 
setting up of the new Ministry of Cooperation by 
T
the Central Government in July, 2021, the continued 
significance of the cooperative movement has been 
underscored. The four-fold guiding principles of 
this movement are Sahkar se Samriddhi; inclusive 
growth; Aatma Nirbharta through community 
entrepreneurship; and Cooperation: Beyond 
Cooperatives. 
Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation 
of an innovative economic organisation for the 
purpose of gain or growth under conditions of risk 
and uncertainty (Dollinger, 2004). Accordingly, 
The author is Additional Development Commissioner in DC-MSME, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium 
Enterprises. Views expressed are personal. Email: igtripathy@gmail.com
Page 2


Kurukshetra       January  2023 18
Dr. Ishita G. Tripathy
This article explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective of community development. The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may stress on universal coverage and providing a single unique identity to each 
cooperative; besides being technology-driven. A single portal and identity number for registration and all other business 
affairs; integration/convergence with other Ministries’ programmes, portals and efforts; and promoting and setting up 
of sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State and State cooperatives. An all-pervasive awareness programme about the 
cooperative movement and related model of socio-economic growth may be undertaken.
Cooperative Entrepreneurship
o attain the objective of all inclusive 
development, various community 
development approaches have been 
advocated by development planners 
and policy makers and have been implemented by 
State Governments and Union Administrations. 
Amongst those, a potent approach has been to tap 
the potential of cooperatives in the country and 
promote entrepreneurship amongst them to carry 
out effective and profitable community businesses. 
By the virtue of the principles on which they rest, 
cooperatives are successful in mobilising resources 
independently and utilising these for productive 
purposes. While the characteristics of cooperatives 
are homogeneous, the manifestation of cooperatives 
is heterogeneous. Cooperatives rest on the basic 
triple tenets of democracy, economic development 
and social mobilisation. The broad manifestations of 
cooperatives include short-term credit cooperatives 
like State Cooperative Banks (SCBs), District Central 
Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural 
Cooperative Societies (PACS), and long-term credit 
cooperatives like Primary Cooperative Agriculture 
and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and State 
Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development 
Banks (SCARDBs), etc.; commodity cooperatives in 
different products like dairy, oil, sugar, textiles ,etc. 
and service cooperatives like housing, transport, 
tourism, hospital cooperatives, etc. In India, one 
of the first examples of financial inclusion was the 
adoption of Cooperative Societies Act, 1904. Since 
then a long way has been traversed and with the 
setting up of the new Ministry of Cooperation by 
T
the Central Government in July, 2021, the continued 
significance of the cooperative movement has been 
underscored. The four-fold guiding principles of 
this movement are Sahkar se Samriddhi; inclusive 
growth; Aatma Nirbharta through community 
entrepreneurship; and Cooperation: Beyond 
Cooperatives. 
Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation 
of an innovative economic organisation for the 
purpose of gain or growth under conditions of risk 
and uncertainty (Dollinger, 2004). Accordingly, 
The author is Additional Development Commissioner in DC-MSME, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium 
Enterprises. Views expressed are personal. Email: igtripathy@gmail.com
Kurukshetra       January  2023 19
cooperatives can be called community enterprises 
being managed by diverse member entrepreneurs. 
Research indicates that local participation in 
different developmental activities has a positive 
impact on shaping communities, and ensuring the 
progression of low-income community into the socio-
economic mainstream. In this backdrop, this article 
explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and 
intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective 
of community development. 
Framework
The legal framework of cooperatives is 
governed by Cooperatives Society Act, 1912; 
Mutually Aided Cooperative Thrift Society Act; 
and Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. 
Cooperative societies with members from one 
State are registered under the provisions of State 
Cooperative Societies Act concerned and are 
regulated by the State Registrars of the Cooperative 
Societies concerned. The details of such societies 
registered under the State Cooperative Act are 
maintained by the State Registrar of Cooperative 
Societies concerned. Cooperative societies with 
members from more than one State are registered 
by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies 
under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS).
It is estimated that there are 8.54 lakh cooperative 
societies with a membership of 29 crore people. As 
many as 1,509 multi state co-operative societies are 
registered in the country under the provisions of MSCS 
Act, 2002. The cooperative sector has an irrefutable 
pivotal role in strengthening the rural economy 
through its engagement in agriculture, fishery, agro-
processing, dairy by providing credit; agricultural 
inputs and marketing for milk, fish, vegetable, fruits, 
flower, medicinal plants, forest products, honey and 
resham, etc.; and by contributing immensely by 
generating direct and indirect employment. 
Strengthening the Cooperative Structure
Steps Being Taken
To strengthen the cooperative sector, a large 
number of steps are being taken. Some of these 
include the following:
• The launch of a pan-India project for 
computerisation of 63,000 PACS at a total 
estimated cost of Rs. 2,516 crore. Digitalisation 
of PACS will ensure efficiency of their operations, 
speedy disposal of loans, lower transition costs, 
faster audit, reduction in imbalances in payments 
and accounting with SCBs and DCCBs, enhanced 
transparency and trustworthiness, and a positive 
and emphatic transition towards financial 
inclusion and providing digital literacy to farmers.
• Draft model Bye-Laws are being prepared. 
Preparation of draft model bye-laws for the 
PACS to transform them into multipurpose and 
multi-dimensional vibrant economic entities.
• Formulation of a scheme – ‘Cooperation to 
Prosperity’ will map the growth catalysts 
in the economy and encourage rolling out 
of a coordinated approach of cooperative 
development to enhance income and growth.
• Formulation of a scheme for modernising and 
professionalising the cooperative education 
and training will take care of capacity building 
needs of the sector and will ensure that 
the cooperative sector attains required 
competitiveness in the changed economic 
scenario. 
• Introducing a new National Cooperation 
Policy by reviewing the two-decade old policy 
and exploring new and sustainable growth 
pathways through cooperation.
• Creation of a National Cooperative Database will 
help in identifying the areas where cooperative 
movement could be expanded and, accordingly, 
facilitate the framing of appropriate policy.
Further Steps Which May Be Taken
Besides the above, there are some more steps 
which may be taken to strengthen the cooperatives. 
These have been elucidated in the following 
paragraphs.
1. Convergence 
More than 12,000 cooperative societies are 
registered as micro, small and medium enterprises 
(MSMEs), which implies that cooperatives account 
for about 0.1 percent of the 1.23 crore MSMEs 
which have registered on the Udyam Registration 
Portal, as per the new definition of MSMEs adopted 
on 26.06.2020, amidst the first wave of the pandemic. 
Page 3


Kurukshetra       January  2023 18
Dr. Ishita G. Tripathy
This article explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective of community development. The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may stress on universal coverage and providing a single unique identity to each 
cooperative; besides being technology-driven. A single portal and identity number for registration and all other business 
affairs; integration/convergence with other Ministries’ programmes, portals and efforts; and promoting and setting up 
of sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State and State cooperatives. An all-pervasive awareness programme about the 
cooperative movement and related model of socio-economic growth may be undertaken.
Cooperative Entrepreneurship
o attain the objective of all inclusive 
development, various community 
development approaches have been 
advocated by development planners 
and policy makers and have been implemented by 
State Governments and Union Administrations. 
Amongst those, a potent approach has been to tap 
the potential of cooperatives in the country and 
promote entrepreneurship amongst them to carry 
out effective and profitable community businesses. 
By the virtue of the principles on which they rest, 
cooperatives are successful in mobilising resources 
independently and utilising these for productive 
purposes. While the characteristics of cooperatives 
are homogeneous, the manifestation of cooperatives 
is heterogeneous. Cooperatives rest on the basic 
triple tenets of democracy, economic development 
and social mobilisation. The broad manifestations of 
cooperatives include short-term credit cooperatives 
like State Cooperative Banks (SCBs), District Central 
Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural 
Cooperative Societies (PACS), and long-term credit 
cooperatives like Primary Cooperative Agriculture 
and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and State 
Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development 
Banks (SCARDBs), etc.; commodity cooperatives in 
different products like dairy, oil, sugar, textiles ,etc. 
and service cooperatives like housing, transport, 
tourism, hospital cooperatives, etc. In India, one 
of the first examples of financial inclusion was the 
adoption of Cooperative Societies Act, 1904. Since 
then a long way has been traversed and with the 
setting up of the new Ministry of Cooperation by 
T
the Central Government in July, 2021, the continued 
significance of the cooperative movement has been 
underscored. The four-fold guiding principles of 
this movement are Sahkar se Samriddhi; inclusive 
growth; Aatma Nirbharta through community 
entrepreneurship; and Cooperation: Beyond 
Cooperatives. 
Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation 
of an innovative economic organisation for the 
purpose of gain or growth under conditions of risk 
and uncertainty (Dollinger, 2004). Accordingly, 
The author is Additional Development Commissioner in DC-MSME, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium 
Enterprises. Views expressed are personal. Email: igtripathy@gmail.com
Kurukshetra       January  2023 19
cooperatives can be called community enterprises 
being managed by diverse member entrepreneurs. 
Research indicates that local participation in 
different developmental activities has a positive 
impact on shaping communities, and ensuring the 
progression of low-income community into the socio-
economic mainstream. In this backdrop, this article 
explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and 
intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective 
of community development. 
Framework
The legal framework of cooperatives is 
governed by Cooperatives Society Act, 1912; 
Mutually Aided Cooperative Thrift Society Act; 
and Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. 
Cooperative societies with members from one 
State are registered under the provisions of State 
Cooperative Societies Act concerned and are 
regulated by the State Registrars of the Cooperative 
Societies concerned. The details of such societies 
registered under the State Cooperative Act are 
maintained by the State Registrar of Cooperative 
Societies concerned. Cooperative societies with 
members from more than one State are registered 
by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies 
under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS).
It is estimated that there are 8.54 lakh cooperative 
societies with a membership of 29 crore people. As 
many as 1,509 multi state co-operative societies are 
registered in the country under the provisions of MSCS 
Act, 2002. The cooperative sector has an irrefutable 
pivotal role in strengthening the rural economy 
through its engagement in agriculture, fishery, agro-
processing, dairy by providing credit; agricultural 
inputs and marketing for milk, fish, vegetable, fruits, 
flower, medicinal plants, forest products, honey and 
resham, etc.; and by contributing immensely by 
generating direct and indirect employment. 
Strengthening the Cooperative Structure
Steps Being Taken
To strengthen the cooperative sector, a large 
number of steps are being taken. Some of these 
include the following:
• The launch of a pan-India project for 
computerisation of 63,000 PACS at a total 
estimated cost of Rs. 2,516 crore. Digitalisation 
of PACS will ensure efficiency of their operations, 
speedy disposal of loans, lower transition costs, 
faster audit, reduction in imbalances in payments 
and accounting with SCBs and DCCBs, enhanced 
transparency and trustworthiness, and a positive 
and emphatic transition towards financial 
inclusion and providing digital literacy to farmers.
• Draft model Bye-Laws are being prepared. 
Preparation of draft model bye-laws for the 
PACS to transform them into multipurpose and 
multi-dimensional vibrant economic entities.
• Formulation of a scheme – ‘Cooperation to 
Prosperity’ will map the growth catalysts 
in the economy and encourage rolling out 
of a coordinated approach of cooperative 
development to enhance income and growth.
• Formulation of a scheme for modernising and 
professionalising the cooperative education 
and training will take care of capacity building 
needs of the sector and will ensure that 
the cooperative sector attains required 
competitiveness in the changed economic 
scenario. 
• Introducing a new National Cooperation 
Policy by reviewing the two-decade old policy 
and exploring new and sustainable growth 
pathways through cooperation.
• Creation of a National Cooperative Database will 
help in identifying the areas where cooperative 
movement could be expanded and, accordingly, 
facilitate the framing of appropriate policy.
Further Steps Which May Be Taken
Besides the above, there are some more steps 
which may be taken to strengthen the cooperatives. 
These have been elucidated in the following 
paragraphs.
1. Convergence 
More than 12,000 cooperative societies are 
registered as micro, small and medium enterprises 
(MSMEs), which implies that cooperatives account 
for about 0.1 percent of the 1.23 crore MSMEs 
which have registered on the Udyam Registration 
Portal, as per the new definition of MSMEs adopted 
on 26.06.2020, amidst the first wave of the pandemic. 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 20
The new definition is based on dual criteria of 
investment in plant and machinery or equipment 
and turnover and, accordingly, the enterprises 
registering on Udyam are classified as micro, small 
or medium. Udyam is a unique identity number 
for MSMEs, generated on the basis of information 
fetched from PAN and GSTN databases through 
Application Programming Interface. Export figures 
are deducted from the turnover for the purpose of 
classification, thereby encouraging export-oriented 
MSMEs. Another recent step that discourages MSMEs 
from stunting their growth merely for the purpose 
of availing benefits as an MSME, is the extension 
granted to MSMEs on 18.10.2022 to continue to 
claim their previous status as a micro, small or a 
medium enterprise for a period of three years, in 
case there is an upgradation in their classification. 
The Udyam registration number is mandatory for 
availing benefits of Priority Sector Lending and for 
most programmes of Ministry of MSME. The Ministry 
of MSME is also working on Udyam Shakti with some 
other Central Ministries/Departments and some State 
Governments for converging benefits being offered 
to MSMEs. Considering that a substantial number of 
cooperatives have already declared themselves to be 
MSMEs and that Udyam is almost like a ‘Know Your 
Customer’ for the MSME, in the spirit of convergence 
and enhancing the ease of doing business, it is 
a possibility for consideration whether Udyam 
certification may be made mandatory for them to 
avail benefits of programmes for cooperatives instead 
of any other documentation. 
2. Awareness and Access to Information
A major awareness programme entailing 
all forms of media is the need of the hour. School 
children and fresh graduates need to be made 
aware that entrepreneurship, especially in 
the cooperative sector, is a full-fledged career 
option available to them. In this context, some 
universities have started running undergraduate 
entrepreneurship programmes. The National 
Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) 
under the Ministry of Cooperation is implementing 
Yuva Sahakar- Cooperative Enterprise Support and 
Innovation Scheme. Currently, a proposal to set 
up a National Level University dedicated for the 
cooperative sector is under the consideration of the 
Ministry of Cooperation. 
In today’s globalised world, access to 
information is the most important knowledge 
sharpening tool. Accordingly, a common interactive 
portal with all information for cooperatives, 
including potential employee-employer mapping, 
access to not just information, but access to credit 
too; and encouraging entrepreneurship is the need 
of the hour.
3. Training and Skill Development
Training is an integral part of upgradation of 
skills and for forming the basis of entrepreneurship. 
Such trainings are conducted by various institutes 
including NCDC, Bankers Institute of Rural 
Development, National Council for Cooperative 
Training (NCCT)’s Regional Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute 
of Cooperative Management, National Cooperative 
Union of India, etc. For capacity building, customised 
special schemes may be explored. In this context, 
entrepreneurs among cooperatives and aspiring 
entrepreneurs can avail benefits of Ministry of 
MSME’s Entrepreneurship and Skill Development 
Programme. 
4. Technological Upgradation
In the fast changing world today, keeping 
abreast of technological developments has 
become an absolute necessity and a reiteration of 
Schumpeter’s theory that new innovations replace 
existing ones which become obsolete with time. 
Accordingly, special schemes for cooperatives, with 
a focus on digitalisation may be required.
5. Finance
Cooperatives can come up with innovative 
business ideas to set up new business entities and 
to expand existing units. The foremost challenge 
before them is to avail timely, adequate and 
affordable finance, along with services to effectively 
use such resources. Collateral free loans ensuring 
timely availability, accessibility and affordability are 
important. An exclusive fund for cooperatives to 
achieve their objectives too may be thought of. 
The performance of Cooperative Banks is given 
in Table-1. The proportion of non-performing assets 
out of the loans outstanding is high for SCBs, DCCBs 
and Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs). 
Page 4


Kurukshetra       January  2023 18
Dr. Ishita G. Tripathy
This article explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective of community development. The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may stress on universal coverage and providing a single unique identity to each 
cooperative; besides being technology-driven. A single portal and identity number for registration and all other business 
affairs; integration/convergence with other Ministries’ programmes, portals and efforts; and promoting and setting up 
of sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State and State cooperatives. An all-pervasive awareness programme about the 
cooperative movement and related model of socio-economic growth may be undertaken.
Cooperative Entrepreneurship
o attain the objective of all inclusive 
development, various community 
development approaches have been 
advocated by development planners 
and policy makers and have been implemented by 
State Governments and Union Administrations. 
Amongst those, a potent approach has been to tap 
the potential of cooperatives in the country and 
promote entrepreneurship amongst them to carry 
out effective and profitable community businesses. 
By the virtue of the principles on which they rest, 
cooperatives are successful in mobilising resources 
independently and utilising these for productive 
purposes. While the characteristics of cooperatives 
are homogeneous, the manifestation of cooperatives 
is heterogeneous. Cooperatives rest on the basic 
triple tenets of democracy, economic development 
and social mobilisation. The broad manifestations of 
cooperatives include short-term credit cooperatives 
like State Cooperative Banks (SCBs), District Central 
Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural 
Cooperative Societies (PACS), and long-term credit 
cooperatives like Primary Cooperative Agriculture 
and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and State 
Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development 
Banks (SCARDBs), etc.; commodity cooperatives in 
different products like dairy, oil, sugar, textiles ,etc. 
and service cooperatives like housing, transport, 
tourism, hospital cooperatives, etc. In India, one 
of the first examples of financial inclusion was the 
adoption of Cooperative Societies Act, 1904. Since 
then a long way has been traversed and with the 
setting up of the new Ministry of Cooperation by 
T
the Central Government in July, 2021, the continued 
significance of the cooperative movement has been 
underscored. The four-fold guiding principles of 
this movement are Sahkar se Samriddhi; inclusive 
growth; Aatma Nirbharta through community 
entrepreneurship; and Cooperation: Beyond 
Cooperatives. 
Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation 
of an innovative economic organisation for the 
purpose of gain or growth under conditions of risk 
and uncertainty (Dollinger, 2004). Accordingly, 
The author is Additional Development Commissioner in DC-MSME, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium 
Enterprises. Views expressed are personal. Email: igtripathy@gmail.com
Kurukshetra       January  2023 19
cooperatives can be called community enterprises 
being managed by diverse member entrepreneurs. 
Research indicates that local participation in 
different developmental activities has a positive 
impact on shaping communities, and ensuring the 
progression of low-income community into the socio-
economic mainstream. In this backdrop, this article 
explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and 
intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective 
of community development. 
Framework
The legal framework of cooperatives is 
governed by Cooperatives Society Act, 1912; 
Mutually Aided Cooperative Thrift Society Act; 
and Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. 
Cooperative societies with members from one 
State are registered under the provisions of State 
Cooperative Societies Act concerned and are 
regulated by the State Registrars of the Cooperative 
Societies concerned. The details of such societies 
registered under the State Cooperative Act are 
maintained by the State Registrar of Cooperative 
Societies concerned. Cooperative societies with 
members from more than one State are registered 
by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies 
under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS).
It is estimated that there are 8.54 lakh cooperative 
societies with a membership of 29 crore people. As 
many as 1,509 multi state co-operative societies are 
registered in the country under the provisions of MSCS 
Act, 2002. The cooperative sector has an irrefutable 
pivotal role in strengthening the rural economy 
through its engagement in agriculture, fishery, agro-
processing, dairy by providing credit; agricultural 
inputs and marketing for milk, fish, vegetable, fruits, 
flower, medicinal plants, forest products, honey and 
resham, etc.; and by contributing immensely by 
generating direct and indirect employment. 
Strengthening the Cooperative Structure
Steps Being Taken
To strengthen the cooperative sector, a large 
number of steps are being taken. Some of these 
include the following:
• The launch of a pan-India project for 
computerisation of 63,000 PACS at a total 
estimated cost of Rs. 2,516 crore. Digitalisation 
of PACS will ensure efficiency of their operations, 
speedy disposal of loans, lower transition costs, 
faster audit, reduction in imbalances in payments 
and accounting with SCBs and DCCBs, enhanced 
transparency and trustworthiness, and a positive 
and emphatic transition towards financial 
inclusion and providing digital literacy to farmers.
• Draft model Bye-Laws are being prepared. 
Preparation of draft model bye-laws for the 
PACS to transform them into multipurpose and 
multi-dimensional vibrant economic entities.
• Formulation of a scheme – ‘Cooperation to 
Prosperity’ will map the growth catalysts 
in the economy and encourage rolling out 
of a coordinated approach of cooperative 
development to enhance income and growth.
• Formulation of a scheme for modernising and 
professionalising the cooperative education 
and training will take care of capacity building 
needs of the sector and will ensure that 
the cooperative sector attains required 
competitiveness in the changed economic 
scenario. 
• Introducing a new National Cooperation 
Policy by reviewing the two-decade old policy 
and exploring new and sustainable growth 
pathways through cooperation.
• Creation of a National Cooperative Database will 
help in identifying the areas where cooperative 
movement could be expanded and, accordingly, 
facilitate the framing of appropriate policy.
Further Steps Which May Be Taken
Besides the above, there are some more steps 
which may be taken to strengthen the cooperatives. 
These have been elucidated in the following 
paragraphs.
1. Convergence 
More than 12,000 cooperative societies are 
registered as micro, small and medium enterprises 
(MSMEs), which implies that cooperatives account 
for about 0.1 percent of the 1.23 crore MSMEs 
which have registered on the Udyam Registration 
Portal, as per the new definition of MSMEs adopted 
on 26.06.2020, amidst the first wave of the pandemic. 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 20
The new definition is based on dual criteria of 
investment in plant and machinery or equipment 
and turnover and, accordingly, the enterprises 
registering on Udyam are classified as micro, small 
or medium. Udyam is a unique identity number 
for MSMEs, generated on the basis of information 
fetched from PAN and GSTN databases through 
Application Programming Interface. Export figures 
are deducted from the turnover for the purpose of 
classification, thereby encouraging export-oriented 
MSMEs. Another recent step that discourages MSMEs 
from stunting their growth merely for the purpose 
of availing benefits as an MSME, is the extension 
granted to MSMEs on 18.10.2022 to continue to 
claim their previous status as a micro, small or a 
medium enterprise for a period of three years, in 
case there is an upgradation in their classification. 
The Udyam registration number is mandatory for 
availing benefits of Priority Sector Lending and for 
most programmes of Ministry of MSME. The Ministry 
of MSME is also working on Udyam Shakti with some 
other Central Ministries/Departments and some State 
Governments for converging benefits being offered 
to MSMEs. Considering that a substantial number of 
cooperatives have already declared themselves to be 
MSMEs and that Udyam is almost like a ‘Know Your 
Customer’ for the MSME, in the spirit of convergence 
and enhancing the ease of doing business, it is 
a possibility for consideration whether Udyam 
certification may be made mandatory for them to 
avail benefits of programmes for cooperatives instead 
of any other documentation. 
2. Awareness and Access to Information
A major awareness programme entailing 
all forms of media is the need of the hour. School 
children and fresh graduates need to be made 
aware that entrepreneurship, especially in 
the cooperative sector, is a full-fledged career 
option available to them. In this context, some 
universities have started running undergraduate 
entrepreneurship programmes. The National 
Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) 
under the Ministry of Cooperation is implementing 
Yuva Sahakar- Cooperative Enterprise Support and 
Innovation Scheme. Currently, a proposal to set 
up a National Level University dedicated for the 
cooperative sector is under the consideration of the 
Ministry of Cooperation. 
In today’s globalised world, access to 
information is the most important knowledge 
sharpening tool. Accordingly, a common interactive 
portal with all information for cooperatives, 
including potential employee-employer mapping, 
access to not just information, but access to credit 
too; and encouraging entrepreneurship is the need 
of the hour.
3. Training and Skill Development
Training is an integral part of upgradation of 
skills and for forming the basis of entrepreneurship. 
Such trainings are conducted by various institutes 
including NCDC, Bankers Institute of Rural 
Development, National Council for Cooperative 
Training (NCCT)’s Regional Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute 
of Cooperative Management, National Cooperative 
Union of India, etc. For capacity building, customised 
special schemes may be explored. In this context, 
entrepreneurs among cooperatives and aspiring 
entrepreneurs can avail benefits of Ministry of 
MSME’s Entrepreneurship and Skill Development 
Programme. 
4. Technological Upgradation
In the fast changing world today, keeping 
abreast of technological developments has 
become an absolute necessity and a reiteration of 
Schumpeter’s theory that new innovations replace 
existing ones which become obsolete with time. 
Accordingly, special schemes for cooperatives, with 
a focus on digitalisation may be required.
5. Finance
Cooperatives can come up with innovative 
business ideas to set up new business entities and 
to expand existing units. The foremost challenge 
before them is to avail timely, adequate and 
affordable finance, along with services to effectively 
use such resources. Collateral free loans ensuring 
timely availability, accessibility and affordability are 
important. An exclusive fund for cooperatives to 
achieve their objectives too may be thought of. 
The performance of Cooperative Banks is given 
in Table-1. The proportion of non-performing assets 
out of the loans outstanding is high for SCBs, DCCBs 
and Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs). 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 21
As per information given by Ministry of 
Cooperation in Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 
388 answered on 19.07.2022, 81 out of 1,509 Multi-
State Cooperative Societies are under liquidation in 
which process of winding up have been initiated.
In order to provide credit to cooperative 
institutions, non-scheduled UCBs, SCBs and DCCBs 
have been notified as Member Lending Institutions 
in Guarantee Fund Trust (CGTMSE) Scheme vide 
circular with effect from 03.02.2022. Further, on 
08.06.2022, the limit of individual housing loans has 
been doubled for UCBs, SCBs and DCCBs. Also, Rural 
Cooperative Banks have been allowed to lend to 
Commercial Real Estate Residential Housing sector 
and UCBs have been allowed to provide doorstep-
banking facility to their customers like commercial 
banks. 
6. Procurement and Marketing
Marketing of products and services have 
remained a challenge for the cooperatives. Recently, 
on 01.06.2022, cooperatives have been allowed to 
register on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) as 
‘buyers’. The objective of this initiative is to enable 
cooperatives to procure goods and services from 40 
lakh vendors on the GeM portal, thereby improving 
transparency in the procurement system and helping 
cooperatives to make some savings. A preference 
policy for cooperatives as ‘sellers’ may ensure the 
much needed boost to them. Further, subsidized 
participation in fairs may help them in showcasing 
their products and forging business tie-ups. In this 
context, a holistic approach helping cooperatives in 
overcoming tariff, non-tariff and other trade barriers 
will help them in gaining market access overseas and 
become competitive.
7. Mentoring
Cooperation among cooperatives is one of 
the seven principles of cooperation, as defined 
by International Cooperative Alliance. Effective 
cooperation and coordination amongst cooperatives 
would mutually benefit their business initiatives 
and maximise community development through 
adequate expansion of member-driven cooperative 
activities. Thus, the time has reached where the 
bigger cooperatives would mentor the weaker and 
smaller ones and ensure that these units retain their 
competitiveness in the market. 
8. Coping up with the Repercussions of the 
Pandemic
Cooperatives need policy and financial support 
services from the Government. While the Ministry of 
Cooperation is working towards designing policies 
and procedures for the spread of cooperatives 
through enterprise and entrepreneurship 
development, NCDC tries to finance the sectoral 
cooperatives to lessen their money burden and to 
reduce financing risk of cooperatives through the 
mechanism of loan and subsidy assistance. Total 
disbursements under financial assistance extended 
by NCDC in the form of loans and subsidy had reduced 
from 28,272.51 crore in 2018-19 to Rs. 27,703.43 
crore in 2019-20 and further to Rs. 24,733.24 crore 
in 2020-21. To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, 
NCDC hiked the financial assistance by 38 percent 
to Rs. 32,221.08 crore in 2021-22 over the previous 
years, as evident from Table-2; and restructured 
loans worth Rs. 203.78 crore and Rs. 369.68 crore 
for Sugar and Textiles Cooperatives, respectively.
Table-2: Total Disbursement by NCDC
Financial Year
Total Disbursements 
(Rs. in crore)
2017-18 21,969.58
2018-19 28,272.51
2019-20 27,703.43
2020-21 24,733.24
2021-22 34,221.08
Source: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1922 answered on 
03.08.2022. 
Table-1: Gross Non-Performing Assets as a percent of Gross Loans Outstanding of Cooperative Banks
State Cooperative Banks District Central Cooperative Banks Urban Cooperative Banks
31.03.2020 31.03.2021 31.03.2020 31.03.2021 31.03.2020 31.03.2021
6.7 6.7 12.6 11.4 10.6 11.7
Source: Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2642 answered on 02.08.2022 
Page 5


Kurukshetra       January  2023 18
Dr. Ishita G. Tripathy
This article explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective of community development. The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may stress on universal coverage and providing a single unique identity to each 
cooperative; besides being technology-driven. A single portal and identity number for registration and all other business 
affairs; integration/convergence with other Ministries’ programmes, portals and efforts; and promoting and setting up 
of sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State and State cooperatives. An all-pervasive awareness programme about the 
cooperative movement and related model of socio-economic growth may be undertaken.
Cooperative Entrepreneurship
o attain the objective of all inclusive 
development, various community 
development approaches have been 
advocated by development planners 
and policy makers and have been implemented by 
State Governments and Union Administrations. 
Amongst those, a potent approach has been to tap 
the potential of cooperatives in the country and 
promote entrepreneurship amongst them to carry 
out effective and profitable community businesses. 
By the virtue of the principles on which they rest, 
cooperatives are successful in mobilising resources 
independently and utilising these for productive 
purposes. While the characteristics of cooperatives 
are homogeneous, the manifestation of cooperatives 
is heterogeneous. Cooperatives rest on the basic 
triple tenets of democracy, economic development 
and social mobilisation. The broad manifestations of 
cooperatives include short-term credit cooperatives 
like State Cooperative Banks (SCBs), District Central 
Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural 
Cooperative Societies (PACS), and long-term credit 
cooperatives like Primary Cooperative Agriculture 
and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and State 
Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development 
Banks (SCARDBs), etc.; commodity cooperatives in 
different products like dairy, oil, sugar, textiles ,etc. 
and service cooperatives like housing, transport, 
tourism, hospital cooperatives, etc. In India, one 
of the first examples of financial inclusion was the 
adoption of Cooperative Societies Act, 1904. Since 
then a long way has been traversed and with the 
setting up of the new Ministry of Cooperation by 
T
the Central Government in July, 2021, the continued 
significance of the cooperative movement has been 
underscored. The four-fold guiding principles of 
this movement are Sahkar se Samriddhi; inclusive 
growth; Aatma Nirbharta through community 
entrepreneurship; and Cooperation: Beyond 
Cooperatives. 
Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation 
of an innovative economic organisation for the 
purpose of gain or growth under conditions of risk 
and uncertainty (Dollinger, 2004). Accordingly, 
The author is Additional Development Commissioner in DC-MSME, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium 
Enterprises. Views expressed are personal. Email: igtripathy@gmail.com
Kurukshetra       January  2023 19
cooperatives can be called community enterprises 
being managed by diverse member entrepreneurs. 
Research indicates that local participation in 
different developmental activities has a positive 
impact on shaping communities, and ensuring the 
progression of low-income community into the socio-
economic mainstream. In this backdrop, this article 
explores the mutually reinforcing requirements and 
intrinsically linked objectives of cooperatives and 
entrepreneurship to achieve the broader objective 
of community development. 
Framework
The legal framework of cooperatives is 
governed by Cooperatives Society Act, 1912; 
Mutually Aided Cooperative Thrift Society Act; 
and Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. 
Cooperative societies with members from one 
State are registered under the provisions of State 
Cooperative Societies Act concerned and are 
regulated by the State Registrars of the Cooperative 
Societies concerned. The details of such societies 
registered under the State Cooperative Act are 
maintained by the State Registrar of Cooperative 
Societies concerned. Cooperative societies with 
members from more than one State are registered 
by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies 
under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS).
It is estimated that there are 8.54 lakh cooperative 
societies with a membership of 29 crore people. As 
many as 1,509 multi state co-operative societies are 
registered in the country under the provisions of MSCS 
Act, 2002. The cooperative sector has an irrefutable 
pivotal role in strengthening the rural economy 
through its engagement in agriculture, fishery, agro-
processing, dairy by providing credit; agricultural 
inputs and marketing for milk, fish, vegetable, fruits, 
flower, medicinal plants, forest products, honey and 
resham, etc.; and by contributing immensely by 
generating direct and indirect employment. 
Strengthening the Cooperative Structure
Steps Being Taken
To strengthen the cooperative sector, a large 
number of steps are being taken. Some of these 
include the following:
• The launch of a pan-India project for 
computerisation of 63,000 PACS at a total 
estimated cost of Rs. 2,516 crore. Digitalisation 
of PACS will ensure efficiency of their operations, 
speedy disposal of loans, lower transition costs, 
faster audit, reduction in imbalances in payments 
and accounting with SCBs and DCCBs, enhanced 
transparency and trustworthiness, and a positive 
and emphatic transition towards financial 
inclusion and providing digital literacy to farmers.
• Draft model Bye-Laws are being prepared. 
Preparation of draft model bye-laws for the 
PACS to transform them into multipurpose and 
multi-dimensional vibrant economic entities.
• Formulation of a scheme – ‘Cooperation to 
Prosperity’ will map the growth catalysts 
in the economy and encourage rolling out 
of a coordinated approach of cooperative 
development to enhance income and growth.
• Formulation of a scheme for modernising and 
professionalising the cooperative education 
and training will take care of capacity building 
needs of the sector and will ensure that 
the cooperative sector attains required 
competitiveness in the changed economic 
scenario. 
• Introducing a new National Cooperation 
Policy by reviewing the two-decade old policy 
and exploring new and sustainable growth 
pathways through cooperation.
• Creation of a National Cooperative Database will 
help in identifying the areas where cooperative 
movement could be expanded and, accordingly, 
facilitate the framing of appropriate policy.
Further Steps Which May Be Taken
Besides the above, there are some more steps 
which may be taken to strengthen the cooperatives. 
These have been elucidated in the following 
paragraphs.
1. Convergence 
More than 12,000 cooperative societies are 
registered as micro, small and medium enterprises 
(MSMEs), which implies that cooperatives account 
for about 0.1 percent of the 1.23 crore MSMEs 
which have registered on the Udyam Registration 
Portal, as per the new definition of MSMEs adopted 
on 26.06.2020, amidst the first wave of the pandemic. 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 20
The new definition is based on dual criteria of 
investment in plant and machinery or equipment 
and turnover and, accordingly, the enterprises 
registering on Udyam are classified as micro, small 
or medium. Udyam is a unique identity number 
for MSMEs, generated on the basis of information 
fetched from PAN and GSTN databases through 
Application Programming Interface. Export figures 
are deducted from the turnover for the purpose of 
classification, thereby encouraging export-oriented 
MSMEs. Another recent step that discourages MSMEs 
from stunting their growth merely for the purpose 
of availing benefits as an MSME, is the extension 
granted to MSMEs on 18.10.2022 to continue to 
claim their previous status as a micro, small or a 
medium enterprise for a period of three years, in 
case there is an upgradation in their classification. 
The Udyam registration number is mandatory for 
availing benefits of Priority Sector Lending and for 
most programmes of Ministry of MSME. The Ministry 
of MSME is also working on Udyam Shakti with some 
other Central Ministries/Departments and some State 
Governments for converging benefits being offered 
to MSMEs. Considering that a substantial number of 
cooperatives have already declared themselves to be 
MSMEs and that Udyam is almost like a ‘Know Your 
Customer’ for the MSME, in the spirit of convergence 
and enhancing the ease of doing business, it is 
a possibility for consideration whether Udyam 
certification may be made mandatory for them to 
avail benefits of programmes for cooperatives instead 
of any other documentation. 
2. Awareness and Access to Information
A major awareness programme entailing 
all forms of media is the need of the hour. School 
children and fresh graduates need to be made 
aware that entrepreneurship, especially in 
the cooperative sector, is a full-fledged career 
option available to them. In this context, some 
universities have started running undergraduate 
entrepreneurship programmes. The National 
Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) 
under the Ministry of Cooperation is implementing 
Yuva Sahakar- Cooperative Enterprise Support and 
Innovation Scheme. Currently, a proposal to set 
up a National Level University dedicated for the 
cooperative sector is under the consideration of the 
Ministry of Cooperation. 
In today’s globalised world, access to 
information is the most important knowledge 
sharpening tool. Accordingly, a common interactive 
portal with all information for cooperatives, 
including potential employee-employer mapping, 
access to not just information, but access to credit 
too; and encouraging entrepreneurship is the need 
of the hour.
3. Training and Skill Development
Training is an integral part of upgradation of 
skills and for forming the basis of entrepreneurship. 
Such trainings are conducted by various institutes 
including NCDC, Bankers Institute of Rural 
Development, National Council for Cooperative 
Training (NCCT)’s Regional Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Institutes of Cooperative 
Management, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute 
of Cooperative Management, National Cooperative 
Union of India, etc. For capacity building, customised 
special schemes may be explored. In this context, 
entrepreneurs among cooperatives and aspiring 
entrepreneurs can avail benefits of Ministry of 
MSME’s Entrepreneurship and Skill Development 
Programme. 
4. Technological Upgradation
In the fast changing world today, keeping 
abreast of technological developments has 
become an absolute necessity and a reiteration of 
Schumpeter’s theory that new innovations replace 
existing ones which become obsolete with time. 
Accordingly, special schemes for cooperatives, with 
a focus on digitalisation may be required.
5. Finance
Cooperatives can come up with innovative 
business ideas to set up new business entities and 
to expand existing units. The foremost challenge 
before them is to avail timely, adequate and 
affordable finance, along with services to effectively 
use such resources. Collateral free loans ensuring 
timely availability, accessibility and affordability are 
important. An exclusive fund for cooperatives to 
achieve their objectives too may be thought of. 
The performance of Cooperative Banks is given 
in Table-1. The proportion of non-performing assets 
out of the loans outstanding is high for SCBs, DCCBs 
and Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs). 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 21
As per information given by Ministry of 
Cooperation in Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 
388 answered on 19.07.2022, 81 out of 1,509 Multi-
State Cooperative Societies are under liquidation in 
which process of winding up have been initiated.
In order to provide credit to cooperative 
institutions, non-scheduled UCBs, SCBs and DCCBs 
have been notified as Member Lending Institutions 
in Guarantee Fund Trust (CGTMSE) Scheme vide 
circular with effect from 03.02.2022. Further, on 
08.06.2022, the limit of individual housing loans has 
been doubled for UCBs, SCBs and DCCBs. Also, Rural 
Cooperative Banks have been allowed to lend to 
Commercial Real Estate Residential Housing sector 
and UCBs have been allowed to provide doorstep-
banking facility to their customers like commercial 
banks. 
6. Procurement and Marketing
Marketing of products and services have 
remained a challenge for the cooperatives. Recently, 
on 01.06.2022, cooperatives have been allowed to 
register on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) as 
‘buyers’. The objective of this initiative is to enable 
cooperatives to procure goods and services from 40 
lakh vendors on the GeM portal, thereby improving 
transparency in the procurement system and helping 
cooperatives to make some savings. A preference 
policy for cooperatives as ‘sellers’ may ensure the 
much needed boost to them. Further, subsidized 
participation in fairs may help them in showcasing 
their products and forging business tie-ups. In this 
context, a holistic approach helping cooperatives in 
overcoming tariff, non-tariff and other trade barriers 
will help them in gaining market access overseas and 
become competitive.
7. Mentoring
Cooperation among cooperatives is one of 
the seven principles of cooperation, as defined 
by International Cooperative Alliance. Effective 
cooperation and coordination amongst cooperatives 
would mutually benefit their business initiatives 
and maximise community development through 
adequate expansion of member-driven cooperative 
activities. Thus, the time has reached where the 
bigger cooperatives would mentor the weaker and 
smaller ones and ensure that these units retain their 
competitiveness in the market. 
8. Coping up with the Repercussions of the 
Pandemic
Cooperatives need policy and financial support 
services from the Government. While the Ministry of 
Cooperation is working towards designing policies 
and procedures for the spread of cooperatives 
through enterprise and entrepreneurship 
development, NCDC tries to finance the sectoral 
cooperatives to lessen their money burden and to 
reduce financing risk of cooperatives through the 
mechanism of loan and subsidy assistance. Total 
disbursements under financial assistance extended 
by NCDC in the form of loans and subsidy had reduced 
from 28,272.51 crore in 2018-19 to Rs. 27,703.43 
crore in 2019-20 and further to Rs. 24,733.24 crore 
in 2020-21. To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, 
NCDC hiked the financial assistance by 38 percent 
to Rs. 32,221.08 crore in 2021-22 over the previous 
years, as evident from Table-2; and restructured 
loans worth Rs. 203.78 crore and Rs. 369.68 crore 
for Sugar and Textiles Cooperatives, respectively.
Table-2: Total Disbursement by NCDC
Financial Year
Total Disbursements 
(Rs. in crore)
2017-18 21,969.58
2018-19 28,272.51
2019-20 27,703.43
2020-21 24,733.24
2021-22 34,221.08
Source: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1922 answered on 
03.08.2022. 
Table-1: Gross Non-Performing Assets as a percent of Gross Loans Outstanding of Cooperative Banks
State Cooperative Banks District Central Cooperative Banks Urban Cooperative Banks
31.03.2020 31.03.2021 31.03.2020 31.03.2021 31.03.2020 31.03.2021
6.7 6.7 12.6 11.4 10.6 11.7
Source: Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2642 answered on 02.08.2022 
Kurukshetra       January  2023 22
Budget 2022-23 announced the reduction of 
the Minimum Alternate Tax rate for cooperatives 
from 18.5 percent to 15 percent and surcharge 
on Cooperative Societies was brought down 
from 12 percent to 7 percent for those having a 
total income of more than Rs. 1 crore and up to  
Rs. 10 crores. On 25.10.2021, relief was extended 
to cooperative sugar mills by clarifying that sugar 
co-operative mills shall not be subjected to 
additional income tax for paying higher sugarcane 
prices to farmers up to the Fair and Remunerative 
Price or State Advised Price, as the case may be. 
Some Recommendations
The cooperative movement in India is not 
uniform across the nation. As per the information 
available, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, 
Kerala and Tamil Nadu witness larger spread of 
cooperatives (National Cooperative Union of India, 
2018). There is a need to work towards deepening 
the cooperative movement in northern, north-
eastern and eastern States where the cooperative 
spread is low. Cooperative movement is a people-
based movement which follows a cooperative 
based economy model and where members 
engage themselves in economic activities with 
a spirit of responsibility. While the cooperative 
movement and entrepreneurship are useful 
means, the coveted end is all-inclusive community 
development. 
For cooperative entrepreneurship to 
effectively contribute to community development, 
the following are some recommendations: 
• Efforts are needed to ensure convergence 
of schemes, to facilitate the ease of 
doing business and to actually go beyond 
cooperatives, as envisaged in the term 
‘cooperation’ vis-à-vis ‘cooperatives’. 
While there is an urgent need to smoothen 
registration processes of cooperatives in 
diverse areas, Udyam certification of MSME 
for smaller cooperatives may be considered 
for them to avail benefits of programmes 
for cooperatives instead of any additional 
documentation.
• The possible tenets of the national policy 
for cooperatives which is being drafted may 
stress on universal coverage and providing a 
single unique identity to each cooperative; on 
being technology-driven; a single portal and 
identity number for registration and all other 
business affairs; integration/convergence 
with other Ministries’ programmes, portals 
and efforts; and promoting and setting up of 
sector-specific export-oriented Multi-State 
and State cooperatives. 
• An all-pervasive awareness programme 
about the cooperative movement and related 
model of socio-economic growth may be 
undertaken through a pan-India network of 
cooperative capacity building institutions. 
• For capacity building of those working 
in the cooperative sector, sector-specific 
customised specialised programmes may be 
developed. 
• Special schemes for cooperatives, with a 
focus on digitalisation may be adopted.
• An exclusive fund for cooperatives may be 
explored to not only finance credit risks but 
to support brand development, technology 
adoption, marketing, advertisement and 
marketing research, etc. 
• A preference policy for cooperatives as 
‘sellers’ on GeM may be considered to attract 
more cooperatives as sellers. 
• Subsidised participation in National, Regional 
and State fairs may be considered.
• Bigger cooperatives may mentor the weaker 
and smaller ones. 
References
1. Dollinger, M.J. (2004), ‘Entrepreneurship: 
Strategies and Resources’, Pearson Education. 
2. Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 386 
answered on 19.07.2022.
3. National Cooperative Union of India (2018), 
‘Statistical Profile’.