Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today inaugurated the EARTH Summit 2025 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. On the occasion, Shah launched over 13 new digital services and products under Sahakar Sarathi, including Digi KCC, Campaign Sarathi, Website Sarathi, Cooperative Governance Index, ePACS, the world’s largest grain storage application, Shiksha Sarathi, and the Sarathi Technology Forum.
The event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Assembly Speaker Shankarbhai Chaudhary, State Agriculture and Cooperation Minister Jitubhai Vaghani, NAFED Chairman and Deputy Speaker Jethabhai Ahir, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Aashish Kumar Bhutani, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank Chairman Ajaybhai Patel, NABARD Chairman Shaji K.V., and several other dignitaries.
Strengthening Rural Economy Through Cooperation
Addressing the gathering, Amit Shah said that this is the second in a series of three Earth Summits being held across the country. He emphasized that these summits aim not only to strengthen India’s rural economy but also to re-examine various aspects of rural development and devise result-oriented solutions. He added that issues concerning four key ministries related to the rural economy will be addressed through these summits, and a comprehensive policy framework will be presented next year at the third summit in Delhi.
Shah said that Mahatma Gandhi believed India’s progress was impossible without placing villages at the centre of development. However, this principle was forgotten over the decades, leaving agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooperatives—three major pillars of rural growth—neglected. He said that a transformational shift began in 2014 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who placed rural development at the core of national progress.
Cooperatives in Every Panchayat; GDP Contribution to Triple
Amit Shah stated that the government has decided to establish a cooperative society in every panchayat in the coming years. The goal, he said, is to bring more than 50 crore active members under the cooperative umbrella and significantly enhance the cooperative sector’s contribution to GDP. Once these targets are achieved, no individual—whether a small farmer or a rural woman engaged in livestock rearing—will be left behind.
Gujarat’s Model Expanding Nationwide
Shah highlighted that Gujarat’s “Cooperation Among Cooperatives” model has led to thousands of crores in low-cost deposits, with markets, dairies, PACS, and all cooperatives integrated under the district cooperative umbrella. By routing cooperative accounts and savings exclusively through cooperative banks, the state drastically increased low-cost deposits and began the process to expand credit capacity in the cooperative sector five-fold, a model now set to be replicated across India.
He added that based on the Gujarat and Banaskantha models, a detailed action plan is being prepared to ensure 100% utilization of priority-sector lending.
Technology as the Backbone of Modern Cooperatives
The minister said cooperatives cannot progress without technology, and small cooperatives often lack the financial capacity for technological infrastructure. Through NABARD’s Sahakar Sarathi, all rural cooperative banks will now have access to 13+ digital services, marking a historic reform.
Under this system, all district central cooperative banks, state cooperative banks, agricultural banks, and urban cooperative banks will operate under one unified technology platform. Comprehensive tech-enabled services—including recovery, disbursement, KYC, legal documentation, appraisal, website creation, and real-time tracking—will be available without financial burden. He added that with RBI’s support, a robust cooperative banking structure is being developed, and soon farmers with e-KCC will enjoy facilities comparable to premium credit cards worldwide.
Data-Driven Expansion and Circular Economy in Agriculture
Shah announced that with a national database for cooperatives now in place, expansion plans can be immediately implemented wherever gaps exist. The ongoing project’s remaining scientific upgrades will be completed next year. He cited Gujarat’s fully operational circular economy model in the dairy sector, where localized production ensures profits flow directly to farmers—a model now planned for nationwide rollout.
He said that nearly 49 lakh farmers are now certified organic producers. A national network of laboratories is being built with India Organics and Amul Organics, and more than 40 organic products are available online. India aims to significantly increase its share in the global organic market by 2035. Multi-state cooperatives will procure produce from farmers, test it, and export it to global markets, ensuring profits reach farmers directly.
Cooperative Taxi and Upcoming Cooperative Insurance
As a major initiative of the Cooperation Ministry, Amit Shah announced the launch of the Sahakar Taxi service, which has already registered 51,000 drivers during the trial phase. He said the service is poised to become India’s largest cooperative taxi company.
He further announced that cooperative insurance will soon be launched across health, life, agriculture, and accident coverage, all under the cooperative framework. Strengthening cooperatives, he said, will automatically strengthen agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and dairy—key components of rural development.
Cooperation as a Tree of Prosperity
Extending best wishes for the Earth Summit, Amit Shah described cooperation as a “Kalpavriksha” — a divine tree whose roots lie in welfare and whose branches support the livelihoods of millions. He expressed hope that the summit’s open discussions, problem identification, and solution-building will pave the way for a strong and actionable rural development framework.
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