On 17 November 2021, ICA-AP Regional Office participated in the “Brainstorming Session on International Good Practices Platform for Cooperatives” organised in Gurugram, India.
Shri Amit Shah, Hon’ble Minister of Cooperation, Government of India, while addressing leaders from cooperatives at a National Conclave on Cooperatives in New Delhi, held on 25 September 2021, urged the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) to set up or collaborate with an Indian institution for establishing a knowledge exchange platform that documents and disseminates the best practices and successful models of various cooperative ventures from across the world. The Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC) of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), was thereafter identified by the Government of India as the Indian nodal agency to collaborate with ICA Asia and Pacific and prepare a roadmap for this proposed platform.
The International Good Practices Platform for Cooperatives, coined as SAHAKAR PRAGYA, is being proposed, to empower cooperatives with access to a repository of the best practices observed by various cooperative organizations internationally. The platform will ease the mutual sharing of knowledge and also help new cooperatives, involving youth and women, in particular, to benefit from understanding the opportunities and scope of the cooperative sector.
Mr. Mohit Dave, Programme Manager, ICA-AP made a presentation on various sources of research and knowledge channels available at the ICA-AP. He noted that many of the challenges that constrain the cooperative movement from achieving its full potential can be mitigated through a suitable exchange of knowledge and learnings between cooperatives. This knowledge is available at the global level and will be cross-sectoral and extensive. Such cross-pollination of best practices among cooperatives is also expected to foster much needed and more relevant cooperation between cooperatives, at various levels.
Mr. Sundeep Nayak, Managing Director, NCDC reiterated that the knowledge exchange would also assist in understanding and infusing 21st-century technological aids, which can lead to a quantum jump in efficiency and productivity of the cooperatives and consequently in the value and supply chain across sectors.
During the session, best practices by successful entities in the sector were also showcased. These included Primary Coop namely ULCCS represented by Mr. Kishore Kumar, Kerala, Multi-State Coop NAFED by Mr. Sanjeev Chaddha, Managing Director, and Uttarakhand Cooperative Department by Dr. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary to the Gov. of Uttarakhand.
An interactive session, moderated by Capt. Prof Pawanexh Kohli, Advisor, NCDC facilitated experts like Shri Satish Marathe, Member Central Board of RBI and Shri Jyotindra Mehta among others to talk about practices devised and deployed across sectors and geographies in India. The session recommended models and practices that are proposed by multilateral bodies like the ICA, the FAO, the NEDAC, the World Bank, the UNDP, the ILO, the UNESCAP, the OECD etc.
At the closing session, Mr. Nayak said that the stakeholders have been requested to submit their suggestions by 30 November to be compiled for due consideration. Based on their inputs, NCDC will prepare a set of best practices that the cooperatives can adopt as per their requirement and ease.
