National Cooperation Policy 2025: A Strategic Roadmap to Revitalize India’s Cooperative Movement
New Delhi, India — In a landmark effort to transform and modernise the cooperative sector, the Government of India unveiled the National Cooperation Policy (NCP) 2025 on 24 July 2025, outlining a bold framework to reorient cooperatives as engines of inclusive, sustainable development.
The policy aligns with the country’s vision of “Sahkar-se-Samriddhi” (Prosperity Through Cooperation) and supports India’s long-term development goals, including the ambition to become a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.
What Is the National Cooperation Policy 2025?
The National Cooperation Policy 2025 is a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy designed to revitalise India’s cooperative ecosystem, strengthen grassroots institutions and harness the potential of cooperatives as inclusive economic platforms. It replaces the cooperative policy framework that had not been substantively updated since 2002.
Developed through an extensive consultative process involving government ministries, cooperative federations and sector experts, the policy positions cooperatives as a key pillar of economic democracy, transparency, and shared prosperity.
Vision and Strategic Mission
At the core of the National Cooperation Policy 2025 is a vision to contribute meaningfully to India’s collective ambition of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The policy’s mission emphasizes building an enabling legal, economic and institutional framework to strengthen and deepen the cooperative movement, particularly at the grassroots level.
The policy is structured around six strategic mission pillars:
- Strengthening the Foundation
- Promoting Vibrancy
- Making Cooperatives Future-Ready
- Promoting Inclusivity and Deepening Reach
- Entering New and Emerging Sectors
- Shaping the Young Generation for Cooperative Growth
These pillars are supported by 16 targeted objectives that envision cooperative growth through legal reforms, financial inclusion, digital adoption, diversity of services, and youth and women empowerment.
Why the Policy Matters
India is home to one of the world’s largest cooperative movements, with over 8.4 lakh registered cooperatives and approximately 32 crore members. The cooperatives span 30 sectors including credit, agriculture, dairy, housing, fisheries, labour etc.
The new policy recognises that cooperatives have not fully realised their potential due to gaps in governance, legal frameworks, technology uptake and institutional support. The NCP seeks to close these gaps and create a more vibrant, transparent and productive cooperative ecosystem.
Key Priorities of the National Cooperation Policy 2025
1. Legal and Regulatory Reforms
The policy calls for strengthening cooperative legislation at central and state levels to enhance autonomy, democratic governance, ease of doing business and member-centric operations.
2. Digital Integration and Transparency
Technology adoption and digital governance are emphasised to improve operational efficiency, financial tracking, data transparency and integration of cooperative activities with broader digital infrastructure.
3. Inclusive Growth and Outreach
NCP 2025 places emphasis on inclusive participation of women, youth, Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), aiming to deepen cooperative reach into rural and marginalised communities across India.
4. New and Emerging Sectors
Recognising future growth areas, the policy encourages cooperatives to expand into emerging domains such as clean energy, waste management, digital platforms and export-oriented value chains.
5. Youth Engagement and Skill Development
To ensure sustainability and generational continuity, the policy includes provisions for cooperative-centric educational programmes, standardized curricula and career pathways that build cooperative leadership among the young population.
Inclusive Development at the Core
A key objective of the NCP 2025 is to place cooperatives at the heart of community development and local economies. It aims to promote cooperatives as vehicles for equitable participation, with special focus on women and marginalised groups.
For instance, the policy envisions cooperatives as platforms to improve access to affordable finance, strengthen agricultural value chains, and expand services such as farming inputs, marketing, logistics and local enterprise.
Implementation and Forward Path
The National Cooperation Policy 2025 provides a roadmap for implementation through coordinated action by the Ministry of Cooperation, state governments, cooperative federations and industry stakeholders. It includes mechanisms for monitoring progress, setting benchmarks and encouraging innovation in governance and cooperative services sector-wide.
Experts have noted that if effectively executed, the policy could transform cooperatives into more professional, transparent and self-sustaining institutions, driving equitable growth and grassroots empowerment.
Conclusion
The National Cooperation Policy 2025 marks a significant milestone in India’s cooperative trajectory — reinforcing the sector’s role as a driver of socio-economic development, community empowerment and shared prosperity. By modernising legal frameworks, integrating digital systems and promoting inclusive participation, the policy aims to make cooperatives dynamic partners in India’s long-term development journey toward 2047.
Also read:
