Hyderabad: Ministry of Cooperation reviewed progress under White Revolution 2.0 and the world’s largest grain storage plan during a regional workshop held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The workshop focused on strengthening 2 lakh new Multipurpose PACS, dairy and fisheries cooperative societies across the country. Senior officials from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal attended the meeting along with representatives from NABARD, FCI, NAFED, NCCF and warehousing corporations.
Addressing the workshop, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani said the cooperative sector remained the backbone of the rural economy. He stated that dairy cooperatives played a major role in women empowerment, nutrition security and rural prosperity.
Bhutani said Eastern and Central Indian states had strong potential for dairy expansion because of abundant water resources, fertile land and livestock availability. He urged states to share practical solutions and strengthen coordination for cooperative growth.
The workshop also reviewed the target of forming 75,000 new dairy cooperative societies and strengthening 46,000 existing societies over the next five years.
White Revolution 2.0 to expand rural opportunities
Officials said dairy cooperatives were helping women move from homemakers to entrepreneurs by improving access to markets, finance and livelihood opportunities.
The Ministry stressed the need to expand cooperative activities beyond milk production into sectors including bio-gas, organic fertilisers, whey protein and carbon credits. Officials said these initiatives would create additional income opportunities for farmers and cooperative institutions.
The discussions also focused on sustainability and circular economy models in the cooperative sector. The Ministry said projects linked to compressed bio-gas, GOBARdhan schemes and bio-energy generation would strengthen rural livelihoods and reduce dependence on imported energy resources.
Technical sessions reviewed implementation of the grain storage plan, WDRA onboarding of PACS, diversification of cooperative business activities and revival of inactive societies.
The workshop also discussed Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited, National Cooperative Exports Limited, National Cooperative Organics Limited and banking-related issues affecting cooperative institutions.
