NEW DELHI, 27 November 2020: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Ji has launched Sahakar ecosystem of capacity development of primary cooperatives.
Sahakar Pragya is the latest in the series of farmer focused steps by NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation), the apex level statutory autonomous institution set up by the Government of India under an Act of the Parliament in 1963.
The minister said that farmers in primary cooperatives in rural areas of the country would be trained under Sahakar Pragya by NCDC.
He said that Sahakar Pragya embodies enhancing NCDC’s training capacity by 18 (eighteen) fold through an elaborate network of 18 (eighteen) Regional Training Centres across the country by the dedicated, Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) set up and fully funded by NCDC.
Sahakar Pragya comprises of launch of 45 (forty five) training modules for transferring knowledge, skills and organizational capacities with the aim of preparing Primary Cooperative Societies to play big roles in AtmaNirbhar Bharat call given by Prime Minister.
LINAC, in its journey since 1985, has trained more than 30,000 persons from cooperatives societies. Mr Sundeep K Nayak, Managing Director of NCDC said that LINAC has chalked out a plan to train about 5000 farmers in cooperative societies in a year. The forty five dedicated training modules would equip the cooperative societies run their affairs in professional business terms of market economy, Nayak added. He said that Shri Tomar Ji has directed NCDC to empower farmers in primary cooperatives through innovative training programmes.
NCDC has been created for the purpose of planning and promoting programmes for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, certain other commodities and services like hospital & healthcare and education etc. on cooperative principles. It extends financial assistance to cooperatives at all the three tiers, Primary, District and Apex / Multi-State. NCDC is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
NCDC has emerged as a financial powerhouse giving the client cooperatives a wide range of products and services. So far it has advanced loans to the tunes of INR 158,000 crores to cooperative societies of various categories across the country. NCDC is an ISO 9001:2015 certified organization.
With its pan India presence, NCDC has been in the forefront of creating market linked cooperative business plan ecosystem in agriculture and allied activities. Working with the ideals mooted by Prime Minister for Doubling the Farmers’ Income, Stand Up India and Skilling India, NCDC has launched various initiatives and programmes like SAHAKAR-22 to develop cooperatives in Focus 222 districts, including aspirational districts, Nurturing Primary Level Cooperatives, SAHAKAR MITRA – Scheme on Internship Programme, YUVA SAHAKAR- Start Up Scheme in Cooperatives and AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR- for creation of healthcare infrastructure and services.
Known for hand-holding cooperatives across the country with funding and project ideas, NCDC has been proactive in delivering innovative solutions for the cooperative sector. In the series of initiatives by NCDC, Union Agriculture Minister had earlier launched the Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel with the aim to involve youth in the cooperative movement. Formation of new cooperatives is a prerequisite for bringing new life and dedication in the realm of cooperative movement. NCDC’s guidance videos in different languages covering local requirements of 18 States on Sahakar Cooptube strengthens the major initiative of Government of India to promote and form 10,000 FPOs.
Today India boasts a huge network of over 8.50 lakh cooperative societies with about 290 million members. 94 percent of the farmers in India are member of at least one cooperative society. Cooperatives lend strength to farmers to minimize risks in agriculture and allied sectors and act as shield against exploitation by unscrupulous traders. Cooperatives have a major role in AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
LINAC has formulated the 45 training modules based on direct visit / contact with more than 5500 primary cooperatives across the country by NCDC employees during last several months.
These 45 training modules to be delivered at LINAC and its countrywide network of Regional Training Centres will address the need for training of:
- Primary cooperatives;
- FPO-Cooperatives;
- Self Help Groups federating
The training programmes will be supported under
(a) NCDC schemes,
(b) 10000 FPO formation scheme of Government of India,
(c) Agri Infra Fund scheme of Government of India,
(d) PM-FME scheme of Min of Food Processing Industry,
(e) Dairy Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India,
(f) Fisheries Infra Dev Fund scheme of Government of India,
(g) PM Matsya Sampada Yojana of Government of India,
(h) Min of Rural Dev schemes
(i) State/UT schemes
(j) Other organizations’ schemes.
The 45 training modules are on areas such as : Farming as Business Enterprise, Mentoring Programme on Formation of Cooperative Societies for Youth, Formulation of Business Plans for Cooperative Enterprises, Business Development and Assets Management for Primary Level Cooperatives, Accounts and Book Keeping, Processing of Agri Produce Business, Processing of Perishables Business, e-Marketing of Products of Cooperatives, Food Safety for Cooperatives, Storage Infrastructure Operations, Coldchain Infrastructure Operations, Freshwater Aquaculture Business, Ornamental Fishery Business, Sea Weed Business, Duck Farming Business, Honey Processing Business, Spices Processing Business, Coconut Processing Business, Management of Custom Hiring Centre etc.
Image credit: Gokulmilk.coop
