The Union Ministry of Cooperation is a ministry under the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

which was formed in July 2021. The ministry provides a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country. The ministry's creation was announced on 6 July 2021 along with its vision statement of ''"Sahkar se samriddhi"'' (). Before the creation of this ministry, the objectives of this ministry were looked after by the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. The ministry works in strengthening co-operatives at the grassroot level, working to streamline processes for 'Ease of doing business' for co-operatives and enabling the development of Multi-State Co-operatives (MSCS). The same was initially announced by

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

Nirmala Sitharaman Nirmala Sitharaman (born 18 August 1959) is an Indian economist and politician serving as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India since 2019. She is a member of the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Indian Parliament, since 2014. S ...

while presenting the 2021 Union budget.

Objectives

The ministry was created with objectives of: * To realise the vision of ''"Sahkar se Samriddhi"'' (prosperity through cooperation). * To streamline processes for ‘'Ease of doing business’' for co-operatives and enable development of Multi-State Co-operatives (MSCS) * to provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movements in the country. * To deepen the cooperative as a true people-based movement reaching upto the grassroot level.

Cooperative Societies at National Level

Core Cooperative Society at National Level * National Cooperative Union of India Limited Cooperative Banks at National Level * National Federation of State Cooperative Banks Limited * National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies Limited Development Cooperative Banks at National Level * National Cooperative Land Development Banks Federation Limited * All India Industrial Cooperative Banks Federation Limited Consumer Cooperative Societies at National Level * National Cooperative Consumer’s Federation of India Limited Worker Cooperative Societies at National Level * National Federation of Labour Cooperative Limited Housing Cooperative Societies at National Level * National Cooperative Housing Federation Limited Producer/Marketing Cooperative Societies at National Level * National Federation of Industrial Cooperative Limited *

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, also known as IFFCO, is a multi-state cooperative society. IFFCO is wholly owned by Cooperative Societies of India. The society is engaged in the business of manufacturing and marketing of fertilize ...

* Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited * All India Federation of Cooperative Spinning Mills Limited * National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India Limited * National Heavy Engineering Cooperative Limited * All India Handloom Fabrics Marketing Cooperative Society Limited * National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperative Limited * National Cooperative Tobacco Grower’s Federation Limited * Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited * National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited *

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd, Official web ...

* Petrofils Cooperative Limited (To be de-liquidated)

List of ministers

;Legend * ;Key * No. - Incumbent number * Assassinated or died in office * Returned to office after a previous non-consecutive term * Resigned

Criticism

Co-operative societies, being a subject of

State List The State List or List-II is a list of 61 items. Initially there were 66 items in the list in Schedule Seven to the Constitution of India. The legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, the State List and the Concurrent List ...

under the Seventh schedule of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

, many experts raised concerns that, creating such a ministry at the central level would increase the power in the hands of the union government. Kerala's Minister of Co-operation and Registration V. N. Vasavan stated that, "Creation of a new Cooperation ministry is an infringement upon the federal rights of the state governments. ...This is an intrusion into the authority of the state governments."

External links

National Cooperative Union of India(NCUI)

Ministry of Cooperation

References

{{authority control Ministry of Co-operation

Co-operation Cooperation (written as co-operation in British English) is the process of groups of organisms working or acting together for common, mutual, or some underlying benefit, as opposed to working in competition for selfish benefit. Many animal a ...