Asserting that cooperatives will also play a crucial role in making India a USD 5 trillion economy, Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the Centre will soon come out with a new cooperative policy and work in tandem with states to strengthen the cooperative movement.
Shah, who is also the Union Home Minister, also announced that the number of primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACs) will be increased to 3 lakh in the next five years.
At present, there are about active 65,000 PACs.
Further, the Government is working on setting up cooperative common service centres, national database besides a national cooperative university, he added.
Shah was speaking at the first Sehkarita Sammelan or National Cooperative Conference. The Ministry of Cooperation was formed in July this year.
Addressing the gathering comprising over 2,100 representatives of different cooperatives and nearly 6 crore online participants, Shah said some people wonder why the Centre created this new ministry as the cooperative is a state subject.
Shah said there could be a legal response to it, but he does not want to “get into this argument” to make it centre versus states.