Ahmedabad, February 17 Union Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting of cooperation ministers from different states and Union Territories on Tuesday to discuss strengthening the cooperative structure and boosting the rural economy.
The ministers present at the meeting extensively discussed the use of technology, bringing transparency to the cooperative sector, and doubling the income of farmers through cooperative societies, according to an official release.
Shah, who is the Union Home and Cooperation Minister, also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various projects worth ₹265.30 crore in Gujarat.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, State Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and Union Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar were present at the inaugural session.
The release stated that, with the aim of realising the vision of "Prosperity through Cooperation" by the Union Ministry of Cooperation, a high-level "brainstorming" meeting was held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, with cooperation ministers from all states and Union Territories under Shah's chairmanship.
During the session, Shah also released a special report on the best practices of various states in the field of cooperation and the International Year of Cooperation 2025, it said.
Among the projects that Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for are the newly constructed ethanol distillery plants of Narmada Khand Udyog Sahakari Mandal, a 30 MW power generation plant, an organic potash plant, two warehouses, the whey protein concentrate powder plant of Amul, and an Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).
A special exhibition was also organised during the event, in which leading cooperative organizations, such as the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Amul, the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), and Banas Dairy, showcased their state-of-the-art services and products, the release said.