my uttarakhand news Bureau
Haldwani, 26 Nov: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the grand Cooperative Fair organised at MB Inter College here, today, on the occasion of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. In a significant step towards strengthening self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperative societies in the state, he distributed Rs 16.97 crores to women engaged in animal husbandry and vegetable cultivation under the Deendayal Upadhyay Cooperative Welfare Scheme, along with Rs 75.50 lakhs to NRLM self-help groups.
Dhami said the fair, held during the International Year of Cooperatives and the silver jubilee of Statehood, would give new momentum to a cooperative-based economy. He added that the seven-day event, themed on ‘Cooperation for Tourism Development’, would provide a platform for products of cooperative societies, self-help groups and farmers, while also hosting special programmes on eco-hospitality, eco-tourism, homestay management, local cuisine and agricultural promotion. He said the fair would strengthen the local economy and take the spirit of cooperation to the masses.
The CM also said that cooperation was an ancient principle promoting collective progress and unity, and noted the global importance of the sector with the United Nations declaring 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives. He said the Union Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, created a separate Cooperatives Ministry, which under the guidance of Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has achieved remarkable progress.
Dhami outlined the major initiatives taken in Uttarakhand to strengthen cooperatives. He said the computerisation of cooperative societies began in Uttarakhand for the first time in the country, and all 671 societies were now operating on a fully digital system. Twenty-four societies function as Jan Aushadhi Kendras and 640 as Common Service Centres, providing rural areas with insurance, pension, Aadhaar and other digital services. Data of 3,838 of the 5,511 societies has been uploaded to the National Cooperative Database, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
He said that since February 2023, the State had formed 800 new PACS, 248 dairy societies and 116 fisheries societies. Under the Millet Mission, the procurement rate of mandua has been raised to Rs 48.86 per kilogram. Under the Deendayal Upadhyay Cooperative Kisan Kalyan Yojana, farmers and SHGs receive interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for livestock, dairy, fisheries and floriculture, along with interest-free crop loans of Rs 1 lakh through cooperatives. Deposits of more than Rs 16,000 crore in the cooperative banking sector reflect public confidence, he said.
Emphasising women’s empowerment, Dhami said more than 1.68 lakh women in the State had become ‘Lakhpati Didis’, and added that cooperative and tourism-based livelihood initiatives would create fresh opportunities for local communities.
The CM also listed various ongoing development works in the Haldwani region, mentioning the yoga and AYUSH hospital, Ambedkar Park and open gym facilities. Construction of a State Cancer Institute at Haldwani Medical College is progressing rapidly. He said the Rs 792-crore ring road, the Haldwani–Lalkuan bypass, road improvements, multistorey parking, waste management projects, a legacy waste treatment plant, pollinator park and astro park would elevate regional development, while new rail and helicopter services linking Haldwani with various districts and Mumbai would improve connectivity.
Dhami also endorsed the PM’s call to promote indigenous products, urging people to make the use of Swadeshi goods a mass movement to strengthen Uttarakhand’s path towards self-reliance. The event was also attended by MP Ajay Bhatt, MLAs Diwan Singh Bisht and Ram Singh Kaira and Lal Batti holder Suresh Bhat.
About The Author
