In August 2020, the then Managing Director of Amul, R. S. Sodhi, unveiled a noteworthy list featuring 10 rural women entrepreneurs who achieved millionaire status by selling substantial quantities of milk to Amul during the 2019-2020 financial year. This revelation captured widespread attention in the media and was received with pleasant surprise by the public.
In his announcement, Sodhi introduced the 10 millionaire rural women entrepreneurs from @banasdairy1969 in Gujarat, actively engaged in the dairy and animal husbandry business. He highlighted their significant contributions, stating that they collectively supplied milk worth lakhs of rupees during the financial year 2019-2020. Sodhi also emphasized the presence of numerous empowered women participating in similar endeavors across Gujarat within the @Amul_Coop network.
Topping the list was Chaudhary Navalben, who earned Rs 87.95 lakh by selling 221,595.6 kg of milk in 2019-20. Following closely in the second position was Malvi Kanuben Rawatbhai, earning Rs 73.56 lakh through the sale of 250,745.4 kg of milk.
While these success stories stand out, they remain somewhat exceptional within the broader landscape of the Indian cooperative movement. In recognition of this, and with the aim of empowering and improving the well-being and income opportunities for women in the cooperative sector, the Ministry of Cooperation has recently embarked on several impactful initiatives. The key efforts include:
Reservation for Women on the Board of Multi State Cooperative Societies:
The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Act) of 2002 has been amended to mandate the inclusion of women Directors on the Boards of Multi-State Cooperative Societies. This landmark step ensures the representation of women on the Boards of over 1,550 Multi-State Cooperatives nationwide.
Reservation to Members in Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS) through adoption of Model Bye-laws:
Model Bye Laws for Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS) have been formulated by the Ministry of Cooperation and adopted by States/UTs throughout the country. These laws stipulate the requirement of women Directors on the Boards of PACS, promoting women’s representation and decision-making in more than 1 lakh PACS.
Nandini Sahakar Scheme:
The Nandini Sahakar Scheme, operated by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) under the Ministry of Cooperation, serves as a financial assistance initiative for project formulation, hand-holding, and capacity development of women cooperatives. NCDC has disbursed INR 5,714.88 Crore to Women Cooperatives, benefiting over 1.56 Crore women members. Overall, these initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Cooperation are geared towards empowering women and fostering their active and productive involvement in the cooperative sector. We look forward to see many more women like Chaudhary Navalben in other cooperative sectors.
