In a significant move to transform India’s dairy cooperative landscape, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today launched White Revolution 2.0, a comprehensive initiative designed to empower women farmers and create job opportunities within the sector.
The Union Cooperation Minister chaired a National Conference in New Delhi on the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Cooperation in the first 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Modi led NDA government.
Addressing the Conference, Shah said that in the 100 days of the third term of the Prime Minister Modi’s led government, the Ministry of Cooperation has taken 10 important initiatives, out of which three initiatives are being launched today. The three inittaives include ‘Margdarshika’ on formation and strengthening of 2 lakh new MPACS, Primary Dairy and Fishery Cooperative Societies in uncovered villages/Panchayats, Standard Operating Procedure on White Revolution 2.0 and Cooperation among Cooperatives.
There are about 2.7 lakh Gram Panchayats in the country, many of which are not yet linked to PACS. Considering the important role played by PACS in the overall and balanced development of the country, the government has planned to form new multipurpose PACS in the uncovered Gram Panchayats.
Amit Shah said that White Revolution 2.0 will lead to empowerment of women, fight malnutrition in children, generate employment, strengthen organic farming and enhance soil fertility through organic farming in the country.
The minister announced the rollout of RuPay Kisan Credit Cards for dairy farmers and the installation of micro-ATMs at dairy cooperative societies. He also released standard operating procedures for the computerization of 67,930 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS).
The White Revolution 2.0 programme is centered on four main objectives: empowering women farmers, boosting local milk production, reinforcing dairy infrastructure, and increasing dairy exports. This initiative is one of three key projects launched in the first 100 days of the Modi Government’s third term.
“Women play a crucial role in the dairy sector, with some generating business worth ₹60,000 crore in Gujarat alone. This initiative will further empower them and strengthen efforts against malnutrition,” Shah stated during the launch event.
White Revolution 2.0 aims to increase milk procurement by dairy cooperative societies by 50% over the next five years. The plan includes establishing and reinforcing 100,000 new and existing district cooperative societies, multi-purpose district cooperative societies, and multi-purpose PACS, all linked to vital milk routes and infrastructure.
The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) will initially fund the initiative with ₹40,000 allocated to each of 1,000 multi-purpose PACS. Shah assured stakeholders of full budgetary support for the proramme.
He also announced the nationwide expansion of the ‘Cooperation among Cooperatives’ initiative, which has been successfully piloted in Gujarat. This program will provide interest-free cash credit to dairy farmers through RuPay-Kisan Credit Cards and distribute micro-ATMs to dairy cooperative societies, bringing essential banking services closer to farmers.
Highlighting the need for reforms in the cooperative sector, Shah noted, “While various sectors have seen reforms over the past 70 years, the cooperative sector has lagged. The creation of a dedicated cooperation ministry aims to revitalize and modernize this sector, ultimately generating job opportunities.”
