New Delhi: The Government of India has introduced a national ranking framework for primary cooperative societies to assess and improve their performance across sectors, as part of efforts to strengthen transparency and governance in the cooperative sector.
According to a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, the ranking framework has been developed using the National Cooperative Database (NCD) and was launched on 24 January 2025. The system enables the Registrars of Cooperative Societies (RCS) in States and Union Territories to generate sector-wise and region-wise rankings of primary cooperative societies through the NCD portal.
The framework allows ranking of societies across seven sectors and can generate comparative performance assessments at the state, district and block levels. Officials said this digital framework is designed to enhance transparency, efficiency and operational effectiveness within cooperative institutions, while also strengthening their credibility and competitiveness.
Under the framework, the performance of cooperative societies is evaluated on a 100-mark weighted scorecard. Key assessment parameters include audit compliance, operational activities, financial performance, infrastructure readiness and basic identity and governance information. The objective is to create standardised benchmarks that allow data-driven assessment and continuous improvement.
The government stated that the Cooperative Ranking Framework is expected to support evidence-based policymaking by providing actionable insights into the strengths and gaps of cooperative societies. It is also intended to promote healthy competition and innovation within the cooperative ecosystem by highlighting high-performing institutions.
In addition, the rankings can be used as a mechanism for disseminating best practices across the sector, enabling other cooperative societies to learn from top performers and improve their own governance, service delivery and financial management standards. The initiative is part of the Ministry of Cooperation’s broader efforts to modernise the cooperative sector and strengthen the role of cooperatives in inclusive economic development across the country.
