Sahakar Pragya was unveiled by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, and Food Processing Industries. Along with the Laxmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy, (LINAC).  The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)'s new training modules for Sahakar Pragya  will provide instruction to primary cooperative societies in rural areas of the nation. More on PIB.

 

Sahakar Pragya Initiative: Objectives, Initiatives, Aim and Significance

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Sahakar Pragya is an example of how NCDC's Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC), which was established and is entirely funded by NCDC, can increase its training capacity by 18-fold through a complex network of 18 Regional Training Centers throughout the nation.

Mr. Tomar urged the cooperative industry to help the village's poor farmers become Atma Nirbhar. With more than 8.50 lakh cooperative organisations and 290 million members, India has a sizable cooperative society network. Approximately 94% of Indian farmers are members of at least one cooperative society. Cooperatives play a significant part in Atma Nirbhar Bharat because they give farmers the power to reduce risks in agriculture and related industries and serve as a barrier against exploitation by shady traders.

The government is aiming to ensure that every home has access to basic services like toilets, power, water, cooking gas, etc. through the more than 2.53 lakh gram panchayats that exist throughout the nation. The government is concentrating on building facilities like cold storage for the 86 per cent of small farmers in the nation who cannot invest in farming on their own so that farmers are not required to sell their produce at poor rates.

 

Training under the Scheme

With a vast range of goods and services available to client cooperatives, NCDC has become a financial powerhouse. So far, it has provided cooperative societies across the nation with loans totaling Rs 1.58 lakh crores. The most recent in NCDC's line of farmer-focused initiatives is Sahakar Pragya.

The Laxmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy (LINAC) and its nationwide network of Regional Training Centers will deliver these 45 Sahakar Pragya training modules to address the need for training of Primary cooperatives, FPO-Cooperatives, and Self Help Groups federating.

The training programmes will be supported by NCDC schemes, the Government of India's scheme for the formation of 10,000 FPOs, the Agri Infra Fund scheme, the PM-FME scheme for the food processing industry, the Government of India's scheme for the development of the dairy and fishing industries, the Government of India's scheme for the development of the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, and the Government of India's scheme for rural development, as well as State/UT schemes, plans of other organisations.

The National Cooperative Development Center (NCDC) was established with the goal of developing and promoting cooperatively-based plans for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export, and import of agricultural products, foods, industrial goods, livestock, and other commodities and services, such as hospitals, healthcare, and education. It offers financial support to cooperatives at all three tiers - Primary, District, and Apex/Multi-State - in addition to the federal level.

 

Ancillary Initiatives

NCDC is renowned for providing finance and project ideas to cooperatives all over the nation and has been proactive in supplying cutting-edge solutions for the cooperative sector. In an effort to engage young people in the cooperative movement, NCDC previously developed the Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel. To breathe new energy and determination into the cooperative movement, new cooperatives must be formed. The major initiative of the Government of India to promote and develop 10,000 FPOs is strengthened by NCDC's guiding videos in several languages that cover the local requirements of 18 States on Sahakar Cooptube.

 

Aim

The Sahakar Pragya Initiative aims to:-

• Assist in the capacity building of India's cooperative sector; The new training modules will help farmers gain knowledge, skills, and organizational ability.
• To support farmers in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat, which emphasizes the importance of primary cooperative societies.
• To assist farms in becoming more self-sufficient during the COVID-related economic rehabilitation.
• To equip cooperative societies with the professional business skills necessary to thrive in the contemporary market economy.

 

Objectives 

a) Sahakar Pragya of the NCDC will provide 45 new training modules to cooperative societies in rural India. The following will be used to assist the 45 training modules:-

• NCDC Plans
• 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations exist.
• PM-FME Program; Scheme for Dairy Infrastructure Development; Scheme for Fisheries Infrastructure Development; Agri-Infrastructure Funding Scheme
• Ministry of Rural Development Scheme
• PM Matsya Sampada scheme

b) Primary cooperatives will teach farmers how to handle risk in agricultural activity.

c) It will also strengthen the cooperative industry, putting a barrier between farmers and dishonest traders.

d) The construction of a nationwide network of 18 Regional Training Centers will increase the NCDC's capability for training.

e) This programme supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, which aims to educate and train impoverished farmers so they can become self-aware and self-sufficient.

 

Significance 

Given the crucial role that cooperatives play in India's economic and social framework, the Sahakar Pragya Initiative is a significant step.

• A key component of India's social organisations is its extensive network of cooperative societies.
• There are more than 290 million members in over 8.5 lakh cooperative organisations in India. The cooperative sector has benefited farmers in many different ways. Additionally, this is accurate given that over 94% of Indian farmers are members of one or more harmonious societies. Cooperative societies defend farmers against exploitation by buyers, traders, moneylenders, and middlemen.
• The programme would give cooperatives the ability to assist farmers in lowering risks associated with agriculture and allied businesses, and it would give cooperatives a chance to connect with farmers since so many farmers belong to them.
• The Sahakar Pragya Initiative will aid in closing the gap between rural communities' needs and those of the market.

 

Key Facts 

• Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, officially launched the Sahakar Pragya Initiative.
• Farmers will receive training in basic cooperative organisations through the program's 45 training modules.
• The 18 regional training centres will carry out the plan.
• The 18 Regional Training Centers will increase the capacity for training.
• A plan to train about 5000 farmers in cooperative organisations has been put in place by the Laxmanrao Inamdar National Cooperative Research and Development Academy.

 

National Cooperative Development Corporation

A parliamentary act established NCDC as a statutory corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare in 1963. The NCDC is run by its New Delhi headquarters and a number of regional offices. Below are some of the major functions of the National Cooperative Development Corporation:-

• The objectives of NCDC are to organize and promote cooperative programs for agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, and certain other notified commodities and services.
• The NCDC is the only statutory organization that serves as an apex financial and developmental institution exclusively devoted to the cooperative sector.

 

NCDC's Other Sahakar Schemes

In addition to Sahakar Pragya Initiative, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has launched a number of other initiatives and projects.

• Sahakar-22: Farmers might now find new employment opportunities thanks to cooperatives. Fostering cooperative development in the 222 target regions and additional aspirational districts is another goal of this effort.
• Sahakar Mitra: It's a programme called the Summer Internship Program (SIP) that seeks out young professionals and students to work as interns in order to gain experience and develop inventive team solutions.
• Yuva Sahakar: The purpose of Yuva Sahakar is to recruit young people who are interested in working in the cooperative sector and to implement youth-friendly programmes.
• Ayushman Sahakar: Ayushman Sahakar aims to support cooperatives in building the nation's healthcare infrastructure. This programme will pay for hospital establishment, development, enlargement, renovation, and other related costs.

 

Conclusion 

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Sahakar Pragya Initiative in accordance with NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation). The mission of this initiative is to provide training to farmers in primary cooperatives in rural parts of India. This programme is in terms with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and aims to educate and impart knowledge to the farmers of the country and make them self-aware and independent.

The positive impact brought up by the Sahakar Pragya Initiative can only be seen after a few years since the implementation and end results take time. This scheme helps the target group to move one step ahead towards their upliftment, especially in the rural agricultural districts via improving their skillsets. Improving skill sets, and imparting training, and education are directly proportionate towards increased income. Thus, the vision of this scheme is to improve the income of the rural district of India.