National Cooperative Policy – 2025

26.07.2025

National Cooperative Policy – 2025

Context
 The National Cooperative Policy – 2025 was officially launched by the Union Home and Cooperation Minister in New Delhi, marking a transformative step towards reinvigorating India’s cooperative movement. This policy is part of a broader national effort to institutionalise, modernise, and democratise the cooperative sector, which has long been a foundational pillar of India’s rural economy and social structure. The policy envisions the cooperative model not merely as a legacy system but as a future-ready vehicle for rural empowerment, digital integration, and inclusive growth.

Key Objectives of the National Cooperative Policy – 2025

• Triple the cooperative sector’s GDP contribution by 2034 through structural reforms and expansion.
   
• Ensure inclusion of at least 50 crore citizens as cooperative members, making it one of the largest participatory movements globally.
   
• Establish a cooperative society in every village to anchor rural development.
   
• Enhance digital governance, improve financial transparency, and increase accountability.
   
• Empower underrepresented communities, especially rural women, SC/STs, and youth, through cooperative-driven livelihoods.
   
• Build a self-sustaining, employment-rich ecosystem of cooperatives by India@100 (2047).
   

Key Features of the National Cooperative Policy – 2025

1. Inclusive, Rural-Centric Development Model

• Promotes cooperatives as rural growth engines; Primary Agricultural Credit Societies to deliver services; five model cooperative villages per tehsil planned.
   

2. Rapid Expansion and Modernisation of Cooperatives

• Targets 30% rise in cooperative societies; 45,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies underway; promotes tourism, taxi, energy, insurance sectors; launches Sahkar Taxi.
   

3. Technology-Driven Governance and Legal Reforms

• Enables real-time digital governance via Primary Agricultural Credit Society computerisation, cluster-based monitoring, national cooperative database, and 10-year legal review mechanism.
   

4. Women and Youth Empowerment as Core Pillars

• Establishes Tribhuvan Sahkari University; launches White Revolution 2.0; promotes youth entrepreneurship; ensures leadership roles for women, Dalits, and tribals.
   

5. Sectoral Diversification and Institutional Strengthening

• Promotes cooperative entry into logistics, tourism, organics, energy; establishes export, seed, and organic product multi-state cooperative institutions.

6. Sustainability and International Integration

• Encourages eco-friendly cooperatives through green technology and circular economy; fosters global outreach via exports and international cooperative participation.

Conclusion

The National Cooperative Policy – 2025 is not just a reform initiative; it is a structural transformation agenda. It seeks to mainstream cooperative institutions into India’s larger economic narrative by making them modern, tech-savvy, and inclusive. With an ambitious vision extending to India@2047, this policy could redefine rural development, deepen economic democracy, and offer a resilient alternative to corporate capitalism—rooted in mutual benefit, social equity, and local empowerment.