No state has ever complained of Co-operation Minister interference, says Amit Shah

New Delhi: No state, not even ruled by opposition parties, has ever complained about interference by the union government in their work in the cooperative sector five years after the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation at the Centre, union minister Amit Shah said on Monday.

Terming this as "our biggest achievement", the union minister of cooperation noted that when the ministry was established, the main concern raised by critics was that cooperation was a state subject and the union government would use the ministry to interfere in the work of states.

"Five years have passed, but even states governed by opposition parties have never complained that the union ministry is interfering in any way," he said at the 5th Foundation Day celebration of the ministry. "Those who understand cooperation know that there can be no question of interference in cooperation. Taking everyone along, moving forward with everyone's cooperation and continuously adding everyone's strengths is the very essence of cooperation," the minister stated.


In the last five years, the Ministry of Cooperation has proved that it was created to support policymaking and help states in their advancement, Shah said. The ministry has initiated several steps that have proved wrong the assumptions of those with a negative mindset, he said.

"In these five years, we have identified problems, nurtured possibilities and provided future-oriented policies to states. From PACS (primary agricultural credit societies) to apex institutions, from state governments to cooperative federations at the district level, we have converted our initiatives into results after extensive consultation at every level," the minister said.