New cooperative policy in next 2-3 months, says secretary Bhutani

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The new National Cooperative Policy is likely to be unveiled in next 2-3 months and it is almost ready, Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Monday.

“We are in the last stage of finalising the new national cooperative policy and it will be announced in the next 2-3 months,” he said after addressing media about the Global Cooperative Conference to be hosted by India in November this year.

Former union minister Suresh Prabhu was head of a panel of experts that prepared the draft policy after consultation with stakeholders across the country.

Bhutani also said that around 65,000 functional Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) will be computerised by February next year under the government’s computerisation scheme.

Earlier addressing the media, the secretary said that the General Assembly of International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Global Cooperative Conference will be for the first time held in India after 130 years of ICA’s formation. India’s fertiliser cooperative IFFCO will host the general assembly of ICA.

During the Global Cooperative Conference, UN Secretary General António Guterres is likely to attend to formal launch of the UN International Year of Cooperatives – 2025, which is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A commemorative stamp to mark the launch of the UN International Year of Cooperatives – 2025 i also scheduled to be released.

IFFCO proposal

During ICA Board meeting in Brussels last year, IFFCO had proposed hosting the ICA General Assembly which was agreed to by the Board members.

Jeroen Douglas, Director General of ICA told media that the theme of the event will be ‘Cooperatives Build Prosperity of All’ and the subthemes will be — Enabling Policy and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Nurturing Purposeful Leadership to Create Prosperity for All, Reaffirming the Cooperative Identity and Shaping the Future, towards Realizing Prosperity for all in 21st Century.

Speaking on the occasion, U S Awasthi, MD of IFFCO, said the event will be Carbon neutral — for compensating the possible carbon emissions, 10,000 Peepal (Ficus Religiosa) saplings will be planted across the country. He also said that there will be only vegetarian food and no alcohol will be served during the 6-day event.