New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stated that the ICA Global Cooperative Conference would provide valuable insights for shaping India’s future cooperative journey. PM Modi emphasised that while cooperatives serve as a model for the world, in India, they form a foundational part of the nation’s culture and way of life.
Speaking at the ICA Global Cooperative Conference 2024, PM Modi said, “This conference is being organised in India for the first time. In India, we are expanding the cooperative movement. This conference will provide essential insights for India’s future cooperative journey. India’s experiences will offer new tools and a 21st-century spirit to the global cooperative movement. For the world, cooperatives are a model; for India, they are the foundation of our culture and lifestyle.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that the success of cooperatives depends on the moral development of their members, as morality drives decisions that benefit humanity. “Mahatma Gandhi used to say that the success of cooperatives does not depend on the number of members but on their moral development. When morality is present, the right decisions are made in the interest of humanity,” he noted.
PM Modi also underlined the importance of women’s participation in the cooperative sector, asserting that nations promoting such inclusion would experience faster growth. He pointed out that the BJP-led Central government has amended the Multi-State Cooperative Society Act to mandate the inclusion of women directors in cooperative management.
“A country and society that provide greater participation to women will progress at a faster pace. Today, in India, it is the era of women-led development. Women constitute over 60% of India’s cooperative sector. We are working to increase their involvement in the management of cooperatives, and to this end, we have amended the Multi-State Cooperative Society Act to make it mandatory to include women directors,” he said.
During the conference, PM Modi also unveiled a set of commemorative postal stamps dedicated to the International Year of Cooperatives, 2025. (With inputs from ANI)
