MP Satnam Sandhu in Rajya Sabha: Tribhuvan Cooperative University to propel India as a Global Leader in Cooperative Sector
Global institutions like Harvard, World Bank & UN Teaching India's Cooperative Model as Case Study, says Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, April 2, 2025: Terming the establishment of Tribhuvan Cooperative University as a new era of India's cooperative movement, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Satnam Singh Sandhu said India will emerge as the world's Thought Leader in the cooperative sector with the establishment of this university which will make India a Global Superpower in the cooperative sector.
Participating in the discussion on the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill 2025, which was introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on 1 April and passed by the Upper House on Tuesday following its approval by the Lok Sabha on 26 March, Sandhu said this University, to be established on the campus of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in Gujarat, will not just be an academic institution, but a global center of excellence for cooperatives.
“This will be the world's first full-fledged cooperative domain specific university, where specialized courses will be conducted on Cooperative Finance, Agri-Business, Digital Cooperatives, and Startups. This University will also collaborate with international institutions so that India's cooperative institutions will make a mark at the global level,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said the establishment of this University will bring new energy to the cooperative sector, professional human resources will be prepared, competent leadership will be created and new opportunities will be created with world-class research.
He said this Bill will make operations of Cooperative Societies transparent and integrate modern technology.
Stating that India has a glorious history of cooperation, Sandhu said even though the first cooperative law came in the country in 1904, the roots of cooperation, which country’s economic progress and financial inclusion possible, are more than 200 years old.
The MP said, “Today, global institutions like Harvard, World Bank, International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and United Nations are teaching India's cooperative model as a case study. This is a direct proof of the success of our cooperative movement. India is emerging as the cooperative leader of the world today. The Modi government formed the Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, which gave new strength to cooperative institutions in India,”.
Sandhu said the cooperative movement has always been the basis of India's development and self-reliance. He said farmers forced the British government to bow down and from here the foundation of AMUL was laid. “Today AMUL has become the largest dairy brand not only in India but in the world,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
“MILKFED and VERKA in Punjab, PMC Bank in Maharashtra and cooperative banking system in Rajasthan have provided livelihood to lakhs of people. My home state Punjab has a glorious history of cooperatives, which is about 150-years-old. In Punjab, a society was started on cooperative lines in 1891 to control the common land of the village. Cooperative institutions of Punjab like MILFKFED, MARKFED and Punjab State Cooperative Bank have set examples of success in the country today,” he said.
Sandhu, however, said as few people and parties took reins of the sector, India’s cooperative movement received a jolt with series of scams including Adarsh scam, NDCCB scam, Pulpally Primary Co-operative Bank scam, Nedumkandam Co Operative Bank Fraud and Karuvannur Co-operative Bank scam among others.
The Rajya Sabha MP said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized the significance of cooperatives in the country and under his visionary leadership.
The cooperative sector of India is not growing but flourishing, paving the way for a robust and self-reliant rural economy. The Union government has allocated Rs 2,516 crore for computerization of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) which will benefit farmers with digital transactions and transparency. The plan to convert PACS into Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will help in increasing the income of farmers by connecting them directly to the market.”
“Moreover, the Union government has launched a Rs 10,000 crore loan scheme, implemented through the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), to strengthen cooperative sugar mills, aiming to benefit sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry by enabling ethanol and cogeneration plants and working capital needs. The government is now going to implement the world’s largest Cooperative Food Storage Scheme which will not only ensure efficient storage of agricultural produce but also provide remunerative prices for their produce. More than 2,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras would be established under PACS which will provide subsidized medicines to in the rural areas. The decision to reduce GST on Molasses from 28 percent to 5 percent has also proved beneficial for farmers and the liquor industry,” added Sandhu.
“The Union government’s resolve to strengthen the cooperative sector is a historic step towards making India self-reliant. PACS have been linked to rural water supply schemes which will enable cooperatives to become water committees and contribute to water conservation. There are more than 8.5 lakh cooperative institutions in the country in which more than 30 crore people are members. Brands like IFFCO and AMUL are among the largest cooperative institutions in the world and India's dairy industry directly connects more than 30 lakh farmers,” he added.
He said Tribhuvan Cooperative University will organize the cooperative sector professionally, connect it with new age technologies, and train the coming generations to lead in the cooperative sector.
“Being an educationist, I am sure that modern technologies like AI, Blockchain, IoT will be incorporated in the university, which will increase the transparency and efficiency of cooperative institutions. Along with this, Tribhuvan Cooperative University will partner with ICA (International Cooperative Alliance) and top global universities, so that world class research and innovation will be promoted in the cooperative sector,” Sandhu said.
He hoped that apart from incubation centers at the university will promote cooperative startups and agri-tech innovations, the University will introduce special courses on climate-resilient cooperatives to enable cooperatives to innovate in areas like sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and waste management.
“This Bill will become an important medium to take not only cooperative education but also India's democratic values, economic prosperity, and self-reliance to new heights,” the Rajya Sabha MP said expressing his support for the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill 2025.
Later speaking to reporters, Sandhu said Cooperative Societies in Punjab play a vital role in improving the economic conditions of farmers and accelerating development, particularly in rural areas, by providing access to resources, credit, and services.
“Punjab’s 19,394 cooperative societies, with the largest categories being dairy and primary agricultural credit, are key instruments for developing and sustaining the agrarian-based rural economy in the state,” he added.
Ends