Author: SahkarNet

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued 244 consolidated Master Directions, replacing more than 9,400 circulars and guidelines spread over decades. This regulatory clean-up — carried out by its Department of Regulation — reorganises guidance for all major financial-institution categories, including cooperative banks. Importantly for the cooperative banking sector, this also includes 27 Master Directions for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and 26 for Rural Cooperative Banks (RCBs / state-level & district-level cooperatives) — many formulated in consultation with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). This marks a historic consolidation of decades-old regulatory clutter into a coherent, function-wise…

The Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) and the Gujarat State Women’s SEWA Cooperative Federation Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening gender-inclusive, informal worker-owned cooperatives across the country. The MoU was formalized between Dr. Suva Kanta Mohanty, Director of VAMNICOM, and Ms. Jigisha Maheta, Managing Director of SEWA Cooperative Federation. The partnership brings together the institutional expertise of VAMNICOM and SEWA to support three key goals: improving the functioning of existing informal cooperatives, facilitating the creation of new women-led and gender-inclusive cooperative enterprises, and expanding opportunities for women within the cooperative ecosystem. The…

Agartala: The Tripura State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd. (Tripura MARKFED) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) to enhance seed quality and improve agricultural productivity across the State. The agreement was formalised at MARKFED’s Head Office in the presence of senior officials and Board members. Dr. Omveer Singh, Advisor, BBSSL, signed the MoU on behalf of the cooperative, while Shri Jogesh Reang, Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Tripura, and Managing Director of MARKFED, represented the Federation. Addressing the gathering, MARKFED Chairman Shri Avijit Deb noted that the signing coincided with MARKFED’s Annual…

New Delhi: NDDB Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, to review ongoing and proposed dairy development initiatives in the Alwar region. The meeting brought together senior officials including Ms. Shruti Bharadwaj, MD, RCDF; Shri Umashankar Chaudhary, MD, Alwar Milk Union; Dr. Devanand, MD, NDDB Dairy Services; and Shri J.T. Chary, Deputy MD, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd. During discussions on the proposed dairy plant in Alwar, the Union Minister recommended expanding the project into a state-of-the-art dairy complex equipped with modern infrastructure. He suggested the inclusion of training…

Date: 3-5 December, 2025 Time: Full day Location: Murcia, Spain Organizer: UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) Brief Details: The 5th Technical Symposium of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE), chaired by the International Labour Organization (ILO), is scheduled to be held from 3 to 5 December 2025 in Murcia, designated as Spain’s Social Economy Capital for 2025. Spain continues to demonstrate strong global leadership in promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). The country has also co-sponsored two UN General Assembly resolutions on SSE for sustainable development, adopted in 2023…

At the National Milk Day celebrations held at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) headquarters in Anand, NDDB Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah paid homage to Dr. Verghese Kurien, the pioneer of India’s dairy cooperative movement. The event commemorated the birth anniversary of Dr. Kurien, widely known as the architect of the White Revolution. Dr. Kurien’s Legacy Dr. Shah underlined Dr. Kurien’s remarkable institution-building legacy, which includes the creation of NDDB and its subsidiaries such as Amul Dairy and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). He noted that these organisations have evolved into one of India’s strongest cooperative ecosystems, maintaining…

Colombo, Sri Lanka: Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, the incumbent President of the International Cooperative Alliance – Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP), has been unanimously re-elected for another term during the ICA-AP Regional Assembly and Board election held today in Colombo. Member organisations from across the Asia-Pacific region extended their support, ensuring continuity in leadership at one of the world’s most influential cooperative bodies. Over 800 delegates from 32 countries across the Asia-Pacific region participated in the assembly. Further, Adili Wubuli (China) and Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah (Malaysia) were also elected as the two Vice-Presidents of ICA-AP. Prominent Global Cooperative…

Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Executive Committee Meeting of the Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and the Pacific (NEDAC) was held on 24 November 2025, bringing together senior representatives from leading cooperative institutions across the region. The session underscored the growing importance of cross-border cooperation in strengthening sustainable agriculture and rural development. The meeting was chaired by Pankaj Kumar Bansal, IAS, Chairman of NEDAC, who highlighted the need for agricultural cooperatives to collaborate more closely amid rising climate and developmental challenges. India was represented by Dr. Sudhir Mahajan, IAS (Retd.), Chief Executive of the National Cooperative Union…

The Ministry of Cooperation on 25 November 2025 convened a review to assess progress across three newly formed multistate cooperative societies — National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Co-operative Organics Limited (NCOL) and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL). The meeting, chaired by Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, took place at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan and included senior ministry officials and the managing directors of the three societies. Sources said the discussion focused on ongoing initiatives, operational challenges and measures to strengthen cooperation and efficiency across the organisations. Shri Raman Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, and…

NITTTR चंडीगढ़ में आयोजित एनडीडीबी (NDDB) की ‘सहकार से समृद्धि’ (Cooperation for Prosperity) गोष्ठी के दौरान दो महत्वपूर्ण तकनीकी सत्र आयोजित किए गए, जिनमें सहकारी क्षेत्र से जुड़े वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों और विशेषज्ञों ने भाग लिया। इन सत्रों में बड़ी संख्या में उपस्थित प्रोफेशनल्स और किसान भाइयों-बहनों को सहकारिता, डेयरी प्रबंधन और वैज्ञानिक पशुपालन से जुड़े महत्त्वपूर्ण पहलुओं पर जानकारी दी गई। एनडीडीबी की सहकारिता सेवाएँ (Cooperative Services) समूह के प्रमुख श्री राजेश गुप्ता द्वारा संचालित पैनल सहकार से समृद्धि (Prosperity through Cooperation) में वरिष्ठ अधिकारी शामिल हुए। पैनलिस्टों में NCDC के क्षेत्रीय निदेशक (Regional Director) श्री ललित गोयल, नाबार्ड (NABARD)…