The Union Ministry of Cooperation is steadfast in its commitment to empower women and elevate their meaningful participation in cooperatives, aligning with its broader vision of fostering vibrant economic institutions.
A key aspect of this endeavor is the focus on training women cooperators and employees of cooperative societies, a facet visible by the increasing number of female participants in capacity-building programs facilitated by leading cooperative training institutions such as NCCT, VAMNICOM and LINAC over the past three years.
National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT)
NCCT plays a pivotal role in skill development for women, conducting programs in diverse sectors like Dairy, Handlooms, Micro Credit, Rural Entrepreneurships, Bee-Keeping, Industrial Cooperatives etc. The statistics reflect the progressive strides made in this direction, with the percentage of women participants steadily rising from 22.02% in 2020-21 to an impressive 38.50% in 2022-23.
Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Co-operative Management (VAMNICOM):
VAMNICOM, the national level cooperative institution, has undertaken various training programs dedicated to empowering women and enhancing their skills in the Cooperative Sector and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with a specific focus on SC/ST women participants.
The institute contributes significantly to women’s empowerment through tailored training programs. In 2022-23 alone, VAMNICOM conducted 24 exclusive training sessions for women, engaging 1056 participants. The commitment continued into 2023-24, with 29 programs and 1,010 participants upto November, 2023.
Few of the programmes conducted by the institute include:
(a) Strengthening of Cluster Level Federation (CLF) of women SHG
(b) Management Development Programme for Women Directors in Credit Cooperatives
(c) Financial & Digital Literacy for Women Members of Self-Help Group (SHG)
(d) Book keeping and Auditing Training for Women Members of SHG
(e) Business Development Strategies for Women’s SHGS
Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC)
Promoted by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) aligns its programs with a client-oriented and interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on enhancing institutional capabilities and human resources in cooperatives. In 2022-23 and 2023-24 (upto December, 2023), LINAC organized 18 training programs each year for women participants on “Role of Women Directors in Governance & Business Development in Coops/SHGs”, involving 951 and 957 women participants, respectively.
Other Initiatives
Beyond these specific initiatives, the Ministry of Cooperation underscores its dedication to cooperative education and training through groundbreaking ventures. The establishment of the World’s Largest Cooperative University is in the pipeline, aiming to provide specialized education, training, consultancy, research, and development in the cooperative sector. Additionally, a new scheme for cooperative education and training is under formulation, with the goal of fortifying cooperative societies and advancing research in critical areas.
Furthering its commitment, the Ministry emphasizes the promotion of training and awareness through the National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT). NCCT organized 3287 training programs in 2022-23, surpassing the target of 1740. The council trained over 2,01,507 participants, a fivefold increase from the scheduled 43,500, exemplifying its dedication to capacity building in cooperative participants, workers, and professionals nationwide.
Overall, the Ministry of Cooperation’s multifaceted approach, spanning targeted training programs, establishment of a Cooperative University, and innovative schemes, underscores its unwavering commitment to empowering women and fortifying the cooperative sector’s foundations. These initiatives collectively contribute to building a resilient and inclusive cooperative ecosystem in India.
