Yojana Magazine July 2023 - 4 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


47 July 2023
ooperation’ has remained the 
philosophy of India, and the 
cooperative movement is the 
backbone of the rural economy. 
Presently, around 29 crore people in the country 
are directly linked with India’s cooperative sector. 
Cooperative societies, particularly, in agriculture, 
dairy, and fisheries sectors, provide rural population 
not just with livelihood opportunities but also 
‘C
Cooperatives are the purest and natural form of economic and business 
enterprise, synergetic with the resources bestowed by Mother Nature. 
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach economic objectives 
by joining forces and pooling their resources, which an individual 
would be unable to achieve. Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance burdens for the 
Government. India’s strong cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification for the Government 
to move out of the front line of food production and food security 
management and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives.
with financial safety net with a community-based 
approach.
The entire cooperative fraternity rejoiced when 
the Prime Minister of India gave a call, – 'Sahakar se 
Samriddhi' and accordingly decided on 6 July 2021 
to create a separate ministry for the development of 
the cooperative sector. It signalled the intention and 
deep commitment of the government of the day 
for promotion and development of the cooperative 
Dina nath thakur The author is the National President of Sahakar Bharti dedicated to Cooperative Development in the country and has worked as 
Deputy Managing Director in the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Email: dnthakur@yahoo.com
atmanirBhar Bharat through cooperatives
Page 2


47 July 2023
ooperation’ has remained the 
philosophy of India, and the 
cooperative movement is the 
backbone of the rural economy. 
Presently, around 29 crore people in the country 
are directly linked with India’s cooperative sector. 
Cooperative societies, particularly, in agriculture, 
dairy, and fisheries sectors, provide rural population 
not just with livelihood opportunities but also 
‘C
Cooperatives are the purest and natural form of economic and business 
enterprise, synergetic with the resources bestowed by Mother Nature. 
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach economic objectives 
by joining forces and pooling their resources, which an individual 
would be unable to achieve. Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance burdens for the 
Government. India’s strong cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification for the Government 
to move out of the front line of food production and food security 
management and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives.
with financial safety net with a community-based 
approach.
The entire cooperative fraternity rejoiced when 
the Prime Minister of India gave a call, – 'Sahakar se 
Samriddhi' and accordingly decided on 6 July 2021 
to create a separate ministry for the development of 
the cooperative sector. It signalled the intention and 
deep commitment of the government of the day 
for promotion and development of the cooperative 
Dina nath thakur The author is the National President of Sahakar Bharti dedicated to Cooperative Development in the country and has worked as 
Deputy Managing Director in the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Email: dnthakur@yahoo.com
atmanirBhar Bharat through cooperatives 48 July 2023
sector in the country. This also demonstrated that 
cooperatives are seen by the government as the 
most appropriate alternative model through which 
the country can realise its dream of becoming an 
all-inclusive economy and realise the vision of 
Atmanirbhar Bharat. 
Socio-economic empowerment effects of 
Cooperation 
Cooperatives are the best instruments of 
social and economic policy and programme 
implementation as they have inherent advantages 
in tackling the problems of poverty alleviation, food 
security, and employment generation. These have 
immense potential to deliver goods and services 
at the doorstep without any hassles, as they are 
people-centered citizen organisations.  
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach 
economic objectives by joining forces and pooling 
their resources, which an individual would be unable 
to achieve. Cooperative enterprises can facilitate 
and ensure market access, create economies of 
scale and scope, and establish independent market 
positions. As a consequence, they are capable of 
leaving a positive mark on a country’s economic 
and social structures. 
Cooperatives, a griculture and Food Security
India needs novel ways to achieve farm 
prosperity and sustainable food security. In order 
to achieve this, transformative and disruptive 
changes, and innovation at every point along the 
food production, supply, and consumption chain are 
required. We need innovative systems that conserve, 
protect, and enhance the natural resource base while 
increasing productivity. It requires a transformative 
process towards ‘holistic’ approaches that also build 
upon indigenous and traditional knowledge, and 
recognise the importance, centrality, and criticality 
of community-based institutions like cooperatives. 
Farmers have to be actively and effectively engaged 
through their own cooperatives to enhance soils and 
protect biodiversity while improving crop resilience, 
productivity, and livelihoods. We must deploy nature-
based solutions to support agricultural production 
while helping to regenerate ecosystems.
Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance 
Page 3


47 July 2023
ooperation’ has remained the 
philosophy of India, and the 
cooperative movement is the 
backbone of the rural economy. 
Presently, around 29 crore people in the country 
are directly linked with India’s cooperative sector. 
Cooperative societies, particularly, in agriculture, 
dairy, and fisheries sectors, provide rural population 
not just with livelihood opportunities but also 
‘C
Cooperatives are the purest and natural form of economic and business 
enterprise, synergetic with the resources bestowed by Mother Nature. 
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach economic objectives 
by joining forces and pooling their resources, which an individual 
would be unable to achieve. Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance burdens for the 
Government. India’s strong cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification for the Government 
to move out of the front line of food production and food security 
management and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives.
with financial safety net with a community-based 
approach.
The entire cooperative fraternity rejoiced when 
the Prime Minister of India gave a call, – 'Sahakar se 
Samriddhi' and accordingly decided on 6 July 2021 
to create a separate ministry for the development of 
the cooperative sector. It signalled the intention and 
deep commitment of the government of the day 
for promotion and development of the cooperative 
Dina nath thakur The author is the National President of Sahakar Bharti dedicated to Cooperative Development in the country and has worked as 
Deputy Managing Director in the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Email: dnthakur@yahoo.com
atmanirBhar Bharat through cooperatives 48 July 2023
sector in the country. This also demonstrated that 
cooperatives are seen by the government as the 
most appropriate alternative model through which 
the country can realise its dream of becoming an 
all-inclusive economy and realise the vision of 
Atmanirbhar Bharat. 
Socio-economic empowerment effects of 
Cooperation 
Cooperatives are the best instruments of 
social and economic policy and programme 
implementation as they have inherent advantages 
in tackling the problems of poverty alleviation, food 
security, and employment generation. These have 
immense potential to deliver goods and services 
at the doorstep without any hassles, as they are 
people-centered citizen organisations.  
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach 
economic objectives by joining forces and pooling 
their resources, which an individual would be unable 
to achieve. Cooperative enterprises can facilitate 
and ensure market access, create economies of 
scale and scope, and establish independent market 
positions. As a consequence, they are capable of 
leaving a positive mark on a country’s economic 
and social structures. 
Cooperatives, a griculture and Food Security
India needs novel ways to achieve farm 
prosperity and sustainable food security. In order 
to achieve this, transformative and disruptive 
changes, and innovation at every point along the 
food production, supply, and consumption chain are 
required. We need innovative systems that conserve, 
protect, and enhance the natural resource base while 
increasing productivity. It requires a transformative 
process towards ‘holistic’ approaches that also build 
upon indigenous and traditional knowledge, and 
recognise the importance, centrality, and criticality 
of community-based institutions like cooperatives. 
Farmers have to be actively and effectively engaged 
through their own cooperatives to enhance soils and 
protect biodiversity while improving crop resilience, 
productivity, and livelihoods. We must deploy nature-
based solutions to support agricultural production 
while helping to regenerate ecosystems.
Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance 
49 July 2023
burdens for the government. India’s strong 
cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification 
for the government to move out of the front line 
of food production and food security management 
and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives. The 
government should recognise that cooperatives 
are the most appropriate institutions to contribute 
to and address some of the identified priority areas 
of concern, like food security, employment, poverty 
reduction, and financial inclusion. The biggest and 
most important strength of India lies in its people, 
particularly in its millions of farmer families. India 
can achieve any goal by combining the strength of 
its farmers with professional management. 
Sahakar Grams – t he Future
As a step in this direction, it could be suggested 
that the government, through appropriate policies 
and incentives, encourages farmers to organise 
themselves into cooperative folds, and every village 
in the country should be encouraged to move 
towards ‘Atmanirbhar Sahakar grams’ . The concept 
of ‘Sahakar grams’ is for shifting the gravitational 
forces of agriculture development and food 
management to the villages and farmers. under this 
approach, the farmers will be encouraged to pool 
their natural and economic assets to ensure their 
efficient and sustainable use, preservation, and 
conservation. r ational and efficient management 
of land, water, and cattle resources would ensure 
that there is no wastage and chemical inputs are 
used only when there is no alternative. 
a Case for Creating national Cooperative Food 
Grid
The government can explore moving towards 
setting up a ‘National Cooperative Food grid (NCFg)’ . 
Every Indian village should have one agriculture 
cooperative to run and manage its entire economic 
activities on cooperative principles. This will reduce 
production costs and improve productivity. Every 
village level cooperative should be equipped 
with farm machinery and a cattle management 
centre. Two or three such village-level cooperatives 
should jointly promote one Multi-Purpose village 
Cooperative Society (MPvCS) with storage, 
sorting, grading, packaging, and trading facilities 
for perishables and non-perishables. This MPvCS 
should also be able to provide credit facilities to its 
members and run green energy, tourism, consumer, 
health, and education, including vocational training 
centres. MPvCS should also be designated as the 
sole agency for running food security programmes 
of the government. The recent initiative of the 
Ministry of Cooperation regarding the creation of 
2 lakh additional multi-purpose cooperatives at 
the community level would be a great step towards 
achieving self-reliance in India by following a 
bottom-up approach.
Every grain of food produced in the village should 
flow to NCFg through these cooperatives. This will 
completely eliminate food loss and wastage. The 
entire produce of the member farmer should be 
Page 4


47 July 2023
ooperation’ has remained the 
philosophy of India, and the 
cooperative movement is the 
backbone of the rural economy. 
Presently, around 29 crore people in the country 
are directly linked with India’s cooperative sector. 
Cooperative societies, particularly, in agriculture, 
dairy, and fisheries sectors, provide rural population 
not just with livelihood opportunities but also 
‘C
Cooperatives are the purest and natural form of economic and business 
enterprise, synergetic with the resources bestowed by Mother Nature. 
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach economic objectives 
by joining forces and pooling their resources, which an individual 
would be unable to achieve. Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance burdens for the 
Government. India’s strong cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification for the Government 
to move out of the front line of food production and food security 
management and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives.
with financial safety net with a community-based 
approach.
The entire cooperative fraternity rejoiced when 
the Prime Minister of India gave a call, – 'Sahakar se 
Samriddhi' and accordingly decided on 6 July 2021 
to create a separate ministry for the development of 
the cooperative sector. It signalled the intention and 
deep commitment of the government of the day 
for promotion and development of the cooperative 
Dina nath thakur The author is the National President of Sahakar Bharti dedicated to Cooperative Development in the country and has worked as 
Deputy Managing Director in the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Email: dnthakur@yahoo.com
atmanirBhar Bharat through cooperatives 48 July 2023
sector in the country. This also demonstrated that 
cooperatives are seen by the government as the 
most appropriate alternative model through which 
the country can realise its dream of becoming an 
all-inclusive economy and realise the vision of 
Atmanirbhar Bharat. 
Socio-economic empowerment effects of 
Cooperation 
Cooperatives are the best instruments of 
social and economic policy and programme 
implementation as they have inherent advantages 
in tackling the problems of poverty alleviation, food 
security, and employment generation. These have 
immense potential to deliver goods and services 
at the doorstep without any hassles, as they are 
people-centered citizen organisations.  
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach 
economic objectives by joining forces and pooling 
their resources, which an individual would be unable 
to achieve. Cooperative enterprises can facilitate 
and ensure market access, create economies of 
scale and scope, and establish independent market 
positions. As a consequence, they are capable of 
leaving a positive mark on a country’s economic 
and social structures. 
Cooperatives, a griculture and Food Security
India needs novel ways to achieve farm 
prosperity and sustainable food security. In order 
to achieve this, transformative and disruptive 
changes, and innovation at every point along the 
food production, supply, and consumption chain are 
required. We need innovative systems that conserve, 
protect, and enhance the natural resource base while 
increasing productivity. It requires a transformative 
process towards ‘holistic’ approaches that also build 
upon indigenous and traditional knowledge, and 
recognise the importance, centrality, and criticality 
of community-based institutions like cooperatives. 
Farmers have to be actively and effectively engaged 
through their own cooperatives to enhance soils and 
protect biodiversity while improving crop resilience, 
productivity, and livelihoods. We must deploy nature-
based solutions to support agricultural production 
while helping to regenerate ecosystems.
Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance 
49 July 2023
burdens for the government. India’s strong 
cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification 
for the government to move out of the front line 
of food production and food security management 
and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives. The 
government should recognise that cooperatives 
are the most appropriate institutions to contribute 
to and address some of the identified priority areas 
of concern, like food security, employment, poverty 
reduction, and financial inclusion. The biggest and 
most important strength of India lies in its people, 
particularly in its millions of farmer families. India 
can achieve any goal by combining the strength of 
its farmers with professional management. 
Sahakar Grams – t he Future
As a step in this direction, it could be suggested 
that the government, through appropriate policies 
and incentives, encourages farmers to organise 
themselves into cooperative folds, and every village 
in the country should be encouraged to move 
towards ‘Atmanirbhar Sahakar grams’ . The concept 
of ‘Sahakar grams’ is for shifting the gravitational 
forces of agriculture development and food 
management to the villages and farmers. under this 
approach, the farmers will be encouraged to pool 
their natural and economic assets to ensure their 
efficient and sustainable use, preservation, and 
conservation. r ational and efficient management 
of land, water, and cattle resources would ensure 
that there is no wastage and chemical inputs are 
used only when there is no alternative. 
a Case for Creating national Cooperative Food 
Grid
The government can explore moving towards 
setting up a ‘National Cooperative Food grid (NCFg)’ . 
Every Indian village should have one agriculture 
cooperative to run and manage its entire economic 
activities on cooperative principles. This will reduce 
production costs and improve productivity. Every 
village level cooperative should be equipped 
with farm machinery and a cattle management 
centre. Two or three such village-level cooperatives 
should jointly promote one Multi-Purpose village 
Cooperative Society (MPvCS) with storage, 
sorting, grading, packaging, and trading facilities 
for perishables and non-perishables. This MPvCS 
should also be able to provide credit facilities to its 
members and run green energy, tourism, consumer, 
health, and education, including vocational training 
centres. MPvCS should also be designated as the 
sole agency for running food security programmes 
of the government. The recent initiative of the 
Ministry of Cooperation regarding the creation of 
2 lakh additional multi-purpose cooperatives at 
the community level would be a great step towards 
achieving self-reliance in India by following a 
bottom-up approach.
Every grain of food produced in the village should 
flow to NCFg through these cooperatives. This will 
completely eliminate food loss and wastage. The 
entire produce of the member farmer should be 
50 July 2023
collected by the village cooperative and taken to 
MPvCS, which will immediately credit the value of 
the produce at government-determined rates to 
the member’s account. In cases where g overnment-
determined rates are not available, the best market 
rates may be given to the members. If any member 
does not want to sell his produce immediately then 
he can advise his cooperative accordingly. A farmer 
must be empowered to have his ‘choice’, ‘voice’, 
and ‘price’. MPvCS may also stock the grain for 
operating food security programmes and be paid 
appropriate charges by the government agencies 
for this purpose. 
If the entire country is organised around this 
concept, then we will have around 7 lakh village 
agriculture cooperatives and around 3.5 lakh 
MPvCS. National Cooperative Food grid (NCFg) 
may be created by digitally connecting the entire 
network of village-level cooperatives and MPvCS. 
I am of the view that NCFg can help India save 
around rs 3 trillion annually by lowering the cost 
of food production and rationalising expenditure 
on food security programmes of the government. 
NCFg will also generate enormous employment 
opportunities in rural areas and trigger a new wave 
of rural development.
NCFg may be complimented by setting up 
a dedicated ‘National rural and Farm Prosperity 
Fund (NrFPF)’ for providing financial support 
to the movement for self-reliant and self-
sustainable ‘Bharat’ through cooperative value-
based enterprise.  With an innovative and creative 
approach, the required resource support for NrFPF 
and NCFg can be easily found within the existing 
budgetary allocations. If the financial assistance 
provided by the government and corporates 
are used efficiently and judiciously, then this can 
become an important instrument for economic and 
social welfare that will not destroy the dignity and 
self-confidence of its citizens. 
Efficient agriculture production system 
management, food security, and food supply 
chain management, energy security through clean 
and green routes, preserving natural resources, 
mitigating adverse effects of climate change, and 
protecting and preserving social harmony are the 
main future challenges for the country, and this is 
where enormous opportunities lie for cooperatives. 
Cooperatives are the most appropriate institutional 
form for harnessing these opportunities, and a true 
cooperative value-based entrepreneurial initiative 
can never fail, whatever the overall economic 
and market condition be. It is to be internalised 
on what a miracle an efficient member-driven 
cooperative can do, and that only through such 
cooperative exploitation of all types would stop 
and we would witness all-around prosperity. The 
route for ‘Developed and Atmanirbhar Bharat’ 
essentially passes through its people, villages, 
rivers, agricultural land, natural resources, and deep 
and strong cooperative roots.                                        ?
(Views expressed are personal)
Page 5


47 July 2023
ooperation’ has remained the 
philosophy of India, and the 
cooperative movement is the 
backbone of the rural economy. 
Presently, around 29 crore people in the country 
are directly linked with India’s cooperative sector. 
Cooperative societies, particularly, in agriculture, 
dairy, and fisheries sectors, provide rural population 
not just with livelihood opportunities but also 
‘C
Cooperatives are the purest and natural form of economic and business 
enterprise, synergetic with the resources bestowed by Mother Nature. 
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach economic objectives 
by joining forces and pooling their resources, which an individual 
would be unable to achieve. Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance burdens for the 
Government. India’s strong cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification for the Government 
to move out of the front line of food production and food security 
management and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives.
with financial safety net with a community-based 
approach.
The entire cooperative fraternity rejoiced when 
the Prime Minister of India gave a call, – 'Sahakar se 
Samriddhi' and accordingly decided on 6 July 2021 
to create a separate ministry for the development of 
the cooperative sector. It signalled the intention and 
deep commitment of the government of the day 
for promotion and development of the cooperative 
Dina nath thakur The author is the National President of Sahakar Bharti dedicated to Cooperative Development in the country and has worked as 
Deputy Managing Director in the National Cooperative Development Corporation. Email: dnthakur@yahoo.com
atmanirBhar Bharat through cooperatives 48 July 2023
sector in the country. This also demonstrated that 
cooperatives are seen by the government as the 
most appropriate alternative model through which 
the country can realise its dream of becoming an 
all-inclusive economy and realise the vision of 
Atmanirbhar Bharat. 
Socio-economic empowerment effects of 
Cooperation 
Cooperatives are the best instruments of 
social and economic policy and programme 
implementation as they have inherent advantages 
in tackling the problems of poverty alleviation, food 
security, and employment generation. These have 
immense potential to deliver goods and services 
at the doorstep without any hassles, as they are 
people-centered citizen organisations.  
In cooperative enterprises, people can reach 
economic objectives by joining forces and pooling 
their resources, which an individual would be unable 
to achieve. Cooperative enterprises can facilitate 
and ensure market access, create economies of 
scale and scope, and establish independent market 
positions. As a consequence, they are capable of 
leaving a positive mark on a country’s economic 
and social structures. 
Cooperatives, a griculture and Food Security
India needs novel ways to achieve farm 
prosperity and sustainable food security. In order 
to achieve this, transformative and disruptive 
changes, and innovation at every point along the 
food production, supply, and consumption chain are 
required. We need innovative systems that conserve, 
protect, and enhance the natural resource base while 
increasing productivity. It requires a transformative 
process towards ‘holistic’ approaches that also build 
upon indigenous and traditional knowledge, and 
recognise the importance, centrality, and criticality 
of community-based institutions like cooperatives. 
Farmers have to be actively and effectively engaged 
through their own cooperatives to enhance soils and 
protect biodiversity while improving crop resilience, 
productivity, and livelihoods. We must deploy nature-
based solutions to support agricultural production 
while helping to regenerate ecosystems.
Agricultural support and food security 
programmes entail heavy financial and governance 
49 July 2023
burdens for the government. India’s strong 
cooperative roots and strategic focus on the 
agricultural sector provide enough justification 
for the government to move out of the front line 
of food production and food security management 
and hand it over to the farmer cooperatives. The 
government should recognise that cooperatives 
are the most appropriate institutions to contribute 
to and address some of the identified priority areas 
of concern, like food security, employment, poverty 
reduction, and financial inclusion. The biggest and 
most important strength of India lies in its people, 
particularly in its millions of farmer families. India 
can achieve any goal by combining the strength of 
its farmers with professional management. 
Sahakar Grams – t he Future
As a step in this direction, it could be suggested 
that the government, through appropriate policies 
and incentives, encourages farmers to organise 
themselves into cooperative folds, and every village 
in the country should be encouraged to move 
towards ‘Atmanirbhar Sahakar grams’ . The concept 
of ‘Sahakar grams’ is for shifting the gravitational 
forces of agriculture development and food 
management to the villages and farmers. under this 
approach, the farmers will be encouraged to pool 
their natural and economic assets to ensure their 
efficient and sustainable use, preservation, and 
conservation. r ational and efficient management 
of land, water, and cattle resources would ensure 
that there is no wastage and chemical inputs are 
used only when there is no alternative. 
a Case for Creating national Cooperative Food 
Grid
The government can explore moving towards 
setting up a ‘National Cooperative Food grid (NCFg)’ . 
Every Indian village should have one agriculture 
cooperative to run and manage its entire economic 
activities on cooperative principles. This will reduce 
production costs and improve productivity. Every 
village level cooperative should be equipped 
with farm machinery and a cattle management 
centre. Two or three such village-level cooperatives 
should jointly promote one Multi-Purpose village 
Cooperative Society (MPvCS) with storage, 
sorting, grading, packaging, and trading facilities 
for perishables and non-perishables. This MPvCS 
should also be able to provide credit facilities to its 
members and run green energy, tourism, consumer, 
health, and education, including vocational training 
centres. MPvCS should also be designated as the 
sole agency for running food security programmes 
of the government. The recent initiative of the 
Ministry of Cooperation regarding the creation of 
2 lakh additional multi-purpose cooperatives at 
the community level would be a great step towards 
achieving self-reliance in India by following a 
bottom-up approach.
Every grain of food produced in the village should 
flow to NCFg through these cooperatives. This will 
completely eliminate food loss and wastage. The 
entire produce of the member farmer should be 
50 July 2023
collected by the village cooperative and taken to 
MPvCS, which will immediately credit the value of 
the produce at government-determined rates to 
the member’s account. In cases where g overnment-
determined rates are not available, the best market 
rates may be given to the members. If any member 
does not want to sell his produce immediately then 
he can advise his cooperative accordingly. A farmer 
must be empowered to have his ‘choice’, ‘voice’, 
and ‘price’. MPvCS may also stock the grain for 
operating food security programmes and be paid 
appropriate charges by the government agencies 
for this purpose. 
If the entire country is organised around this 
concept, then we will have around 7 lakh village 
agriculture cooperatives and around 3.5 lakh 
MPvCS. National Cooperative Food grid (NCFg) 
may be created by digitally connecting the entire 
network of village-level cooperatives and MPvCS. 
I am of the view that NCFg can help India save 
around rs 3 trillion annually by lowering the cost 
of food production and rationalising expenditure 
on food security programmes of the government. 
NCFg will also generate enormous employment 
opportunities in rural areas and trigger a new wave 
of rural development.
NCFg may be complimented by setting up 
a dedicated ‘National rural and Farm Prosperity 
Fund (NrFPF)’ for providing financial support 
to the movement for self-reliant and self-
sustainable ‘Bharat’ through cooperative value-
based enterprise.  With an innovative and creative 
approach, the required resource support for NrFPF 
and NCFg can be easily found within the existing 
budgetary allocations. If the financial assistance 
provided by the government and corporates 
are used efficiently and judiciously, then this can 
become an important instrument for economic and 
social welfare that will not destroy the dignity and 
self-confidence of its citizens. 
Efficient agriculture production system 
management, food security, and food supply 
chain management, energy security through clean 
and green routes, preserving natural resources, 
mitigating adverse effects of climate change, and 
protecting and preserving social harmony are the 
main future challenges for the country, and this is 
where enormous opportunities lie for cooperatives. 
Cooperatives are the most appropriate institutional 
form for harnessing these opportunities, and a true 
cooperative value-based entrepreneurial initiative 
can never fail, whatever the overall economic 
and market condition be. It is to be internalised 
on what a miracle an efficient member-driven 
cooperative can do, and that only through such 
cooperative exploitation of all types would stop 
and we would witness all-around prosperity. The 
route for ‘Developed and Atmanirbhar Bharat’ 
essentially passes through its people, villages, 
rivers, agricultural land, natural resources, and deep 
and strong cooperative roots.                                        ?
(Views expressed are personal)
51 July 2023
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