Cooperative Societies are bedrock of rural development: Javid Dar

• Advocates strengthening of cooperative movement to benefit local communities’

JAMMU: Minister for Cooperative, Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Javid Ahmad Dar, today remarked that Cooperative societies are the bedrock of rural development while advocating strengthening of cooperative movement to benefit local communities.

The Minister made these remarks while addressing the 71st Cooperative Week celebrations at Convention Centre here, celebrated annually in third week of November. The event serves as a platform to highlight the transformative impact of cooperatives on rural development, poverty alleviation and self-reliance.

Secretary Cooperative, Babila Rakhwal, Registrar Cooperatives, J&K, Mohammad Shafi, CGM NABARD, Joint Registrar Cooperatives, Additional Registrars, Deputy Registrars, representatives of various cooperative societies, teachers and students of various cooperative schools and other concerned were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Minister underlined that Cooperatives is a mission and we need to work in mission mode to achieve its objectives. He called upon all the stakeholders to work together to achieve the desired goals of cooperatives.

Javid Dar underscored the need for owning responsibilities of all stakeholders involved, highlighting that everyone should know his responsibilities and work with sincerity to make this movement successful. He read out the famous quote of Author and Philosopher Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”.

The Minister outlined the indispensable role of cooperatives in addressing the developmental challenges faced by rural areas. He underlined how cooperatives have been at the forefront of fostering inclusive growth, particularly in sectors like agriculture, rural banking, dairy and consumer goods.

“Cooperative societies are bedrock of rural development. They provide a platform for individuals, particularly in underserved areas, to access financial services, livelihood opportunities and community welfare programs”, Javid Dar maintained. He highlighted that Cooperatives have a pivotal to play in shaping the socio-economic landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister further said that goal of Viksit Bharat can be achieved by prosperous rural economy and cooperative sector has very much role to play in it. Earlier, the Minister inspected various stalls set up by different cooperative societies and also interacted with their respective representatives. The Minister, during the celebrations, launched the new Super Bazaar logo of the cooperative department. He also released Compendium as well as ERP Audit Module of the department.

An MoU between Unnati Agri Allied and Marketing Multistate Cooperative Society and J&K Ex-servicemen Cooperative Store Limited was also exchanged on the occasion in presence of the Minister.

In her welcome address, Secretary Cooperatives, Babila Rakhwal outlined the core objectives of Cooperative department and the achievements made by the department in recent years. CGM, NABARD also spoke on the occasion and enlightened the audience about the role of Cooperative sector in the development of country.