‘Cooperation to Prosperity’ through Integration of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, & Cooperatives

Shah noted that when Prime Minister Modi came to power in 2014, the agricultural budget was ₹22,000 crore, which has now increased to ₹1.27 lakh crore. The rural development budget, which was ₹80,000 crore, has now been raised to ₹1.87 lakh crore. Shah stated that there is no Panchayat in Haryana or elsewhere in the country that has not received ₹10 crore, ₹20 crore, or ₹25 crore for village development in the past 10 years. This reflects a significant change in the development outlook. Union Minister Amit Shah explained that the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation was done to ensure that all profits from the agricultural produce reach the farmers. He shared that Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have been empowered by creating model bylaws and certifying multipurpose PACS. He mentioned that they have integrated services such as fertilizer and pesticide distribution, agriculture product cleaning, grading, marketing, pharmacies, petrol pumps, and gas agencies with PACS, strengthening them through 30 different services. He also pointed out the establishment of three multi-state cooperatives at the national level: National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) for the export of agricultural products, National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) for the marketing and certification of organic products, and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) for seed production, procurement, and distribution. These initiatives are building a strong foundation for increasing farmers’ incomes. Amit Shah compared the evolution of Amul, which started with just 2,000 liters of milk per day and now collects about 3 crore liters of milk daily, with an annual turnover of ₹1.23 lakh crore. He expressed confidence that in the next 15 years, at least 20 organizations like Amul would emerge in India, working for the welfare of farmers. He also mentioned the Haryana government’s efforts to offer the highest prices for sugarcane farmers, making Haryana’s farmers among the happiest. Shah commended the Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana for this achievement. Shah further discussed the government’s upcoming initiative under the Ministry of Cooperation, where, just in a couple of months, a ‘Bharat Taxi’ service will be launched. Unlike traditional taxi services, all the profits from this service will go to the drivers. This will open new employment opportunities for taxi drivers, providing them with insurance, advertisement opportunities on their vehicles, and ultimately, a share in the profits. Shah expressed his belief that this initiative would soon make ‘Bharat Taxi’ the number one taxi operation company in India.