Examine the importance of cooperatives in India and discuss the role of the Ministry of cooperation to boost them.

Cooperative are formed by a group of people with an aim to improve their economic status and strengthen social status too.

Significance of cooperatives in India:

• Employment generation.
• Ensuring women empowerment.
• Strengthening agriculture, improving production and productivity.
• Strengthening rural economy.
• In poverty alleviation and to shift excess labour from the agriculture to other sectors.
• Improving export capability of India, e.g. Amul – enhanced dairy export.
• Co-operatives also enhance social harmony.

Ministry of cooperative is created to give impetus to cooperatives. It will enhance cooperatives by:

• Bringing dedicated policies for cooperatives.
• Streamlining efforts dedicated to cooperatives.
• Ensuring fund, infrastructure is present.
• Easing issues like the credit availability.
• Bringing technological advancement in cooperatives.

Cooperatives like Amul, mother dairy, etc have shown that they can enhance rural development. Similar models can be replicated in sectors other than dairy as well to get the desired result.