'Multi-State Cooperative Societies law will be passed in upcoming Parl session'

NEW DELHI: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the amendment in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act has been done by the Parliamentary Committee through a consensus and this law will be tabled in the upcoming Parliament session.

"Under the leadership of Modiji, we have taken many initiatives in the field of cooperatives. The work of amendment in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act has been done by the Parliamentary Committee with consensus and this law is going to come in this session itself," Shah said.

The Union minister was addressing the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress at International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi today announced that the monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 20.

Shah was Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the two-day event organised by the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) with the theme of Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India is being chaired by Amit Shah.

Shah further said that the Ministry of Cooperation was constituted only when PM Modi was re-elected to power although there was a demand for it since independence.

"The cooperative movement is about 115 years old in our country. Since independence, the main demand of the workers of the cooperative sector was that the Ministry of Cooperation should be made separate. After PM Modi was re-elected as the Prime Minister in 2019, he constituted a separate Ministry of Cooperation," Shah said.

The Union Minister said that the Narendra Modi government has tried to bring uniformity in the Cooperative Law without disturbing the rights of the State and the Centre within the constitutional framework.

"The cooperative movement accounts for about 29 per cent of the economy of credit distribution. It accounts 35 per cent in fertilizer distribution, 25 per cent in fertilizer production, more than 35 per cent in sugar production, the share of cooperatives in procurement, sale and production of milk is touching 15 per cent," the Minister for Cooperation further said.

The 17th Indian Cooperative Congress is being organised on July 1 to July 2.

Its objective is to discuss various trends in the cooperative movement, showcase best practices being adopted, deliberate challenges being faced and chalk out future policy direction for growth of India's cooperative movement.

There will be seven technical sessions on the main theme of "Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India".

It will witness the participation of more than 3,600 stakeholders including cooperatives from the primary level to the national level, delegates of International Cooperative Organisations, representatives of International Cooperative Alliance, representatives of Ministries, Universities, and eminent institutions, among others, according to a statement.