New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress at Pragati Maidan on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives. The main theme of the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress is ‘Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India’. PM also launched E-Portals of e-Commerce website for Cooperative Marketing, and Cooperative Extension and Advisory Services Portal.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone on the occasion and said that the country is working towards the goal of a ‘Viksit and Atmanirbhar Bharat’. He reiterated the need for ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s effort) in achieving these goals where the spirit of cooperation sends the message of everyone’s effort.
Prime Minister noted the contributions of the dairy cooperative in making India the world’s leading milk producer and the role of cooperatives in making India one of the top sugar-producing countries in the world. He underlined that cooperatives have become a huge support system for small farmers in many parts of the country.
PM Modi also noted that the contribution of women in the dairy sector is approximately 60 percent. Hence, the Prime Minister continued, the government decided to strengthen the cooperative sector to achieve the goals of a Viksit Bharat. He informed that it was the first time that a separate ministry was formed and a budget was allocated for cooperatives, and as a result, the cooperatives are being presented with a platform exactly like the corporate sector. The Prime Minister also informed about the measures to strengthen cooperative societies and mentioned the reduction in tax rates. He also informed about the measures to strengthen cooperative banks and gave examples of flexibility in opening new branches and doorstep banking.
Noting the large number of farmers who were linked to the event, the Prime Minister dwelled on the measures undertaken for the farmer’s welfare in the last 9 years. He said, as opposed to the scarce support of the past, further reduced by the middlemen, now, crores of farmers are getting Kisan Samman Nidhi directly in their accounts. In the last 4 years 2.5 lakh crore rupees have been transparently transferred under this scheme, he said.
He put things in perspective by telling the gathering that 2.5 lakh crore is a big amount if we consider the total agriculture budget of 5 years before 2014 which comes out to be less than 90 thousand rupees. This means that more than three times the total agriculture budget of those five years was spent on just one scheme.
Prime Minister also elaborated on the ways of ensuring that farmers are not burdened by the increasing global fertilizer prices. He said that a farmer today pays about Rs 270 for a bag of urea whereas the same bag is priced at Rs 720 in Bangladesh, Rs 800 in Pakistan, Rs 2100 in China and Rs 3000 in the USA. “This shows what a guarantee looks like and what massive efforts are needed to change the lives of the farmers”, he said. The Prime Minister informed that in the last 9 years, more than Rs 10 lakh crore have been spent on just fertilizer subsidies.
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