17-09-2025 : ‘Sahkarita Mein Sahkar’ Marks International Year of Cooperatives 2025 at Raj Bhawan.
Rajbhawan Dehradun 17 September, 2025
Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami jointly inaugurated the ‘Sahkarita Mein Sahkar’ programme at Raj Bhawan to celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives 2025.
Two landmark Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in their presence:
Between Indian Cooperative Society Ltd. and the Uttarakhand State Cooperative Federation to open new avenues in seed production and distribution, benefiting state cooperatives and farmers.
Between the National Cooperative Export Society and the Uttarakhand State Cooperative Federation to connect local agricultural producers and cooperatives to national and global markets.
The Governor and Chief Minister also unveiled two new policies of the Uttarakhand State Cooperative Bank—its Credit Policy and Commercial & Residential Property Loan Policy.
Awards were presented to Feekapar MPAX of Jaspur and the Main Branch of Dehradun District Cooperative Bank for outstanding work, and cheques were distributed to beneficiaries of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Sahkarita Kisan Kalyan Yojana.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor said:
“The cooperative movement is a collective effort where everyone shares in the benefits, participation, and responsibility. In India, cooperation is not a new concept but an intrinsic part of our life philosophy. It is a revolution bringing us to the threshold of socio-economic prosperity.”
He highlighted the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”—the world as one family—as the essence of cooperation, noting that India’s traditions embody the vision celebrated globally by the UN’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives.
The Governor praised women’s self-help groups and youth entrepreneurs for giving the cooperative movement a modern shape through start-ups, organic marketing, processing, and digital platforms. He also commended Uttarakhand cooperatives for supplying food, dairy, and essential goods to the Army, ITBP, and other paramilitary forces, demonstrating their national service.
The Chief Minister said cooperation is one of humanity’s oldest and most valuable principles—a medium for holistic development built on mutual support rather than competition.
He detailed the state’s progress:
Computerisation of all 671 multipurpose cooperative societies, with data from 3,838 societies uploaded to the National Cooperative Database for transparency.
Establishment of 800 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), 248 new dairy societies, and 116 fisheries societies since February 2023.
Interest-free loans up to ₹5 lakh under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay scheme.
Deposits exceeding ₹16,000 crore in cooperative banks, reflecting growing public trust.
Over 1.63 lakh women achieving ‘Lakhpati Didi’ status, setting a benchmark for women’s empowerment.
He recalled the Global Cooperative Conference 2024, where the Prime Minister emphasized cooperation as India’s cultural foundation, and noted the creation of a dedicated Union Ministry of Cooperation under Union Minister Amit Shah to strengthen the movement nationwide.
Cooperation Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat highlighted that Uttarakhand is the first state to provide interest-free loans up to ₹5 lakh to women self-help groups and to grant 33% reservation for women in cooperatives, aiming to raise the number of “Lakhpati Didis” to four lakh by 2026.
Director of Cooperation (Government of India) Kapil Meena, State Cooperation Secretary Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Registrar Dr. Mehrban Singh Bisht, Additional Registrar Smt. Ira Upreti, Joint Registrar Neeraj Belwal, cooperative officials, women from self-help groups across districts, and other dignitaries also participated.
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