The week-long celebrations of the 67th All India Cooperative Week culminated here today. The celebration was organised by the Department of Cooperation, office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd in collaboration with the State Level Cooperative Federations.
As part of the celebration, three booklets documenting the successes and achievements of cooperative societies in the state were also released.
KN Kumar, Chairman of the Meghalaya Farmers Empowerment Commission, in his address as chief guest, said that cooperation as a sector is important in traditional societies, adding that Meghalaya, being a cohesive community, can work together and develop a strong bond for cooperative spirit. He emphasized the role of cooperatives in the development of the country, especially the rural sector.
“Cooperatives empower people and build communities for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Kumar stressed on two important projects in Meghalaya, namely the Milk Mission and Piggery Mission, where he emphasized that these can transform the lives and economic condition of farmers and can boost the state’s GDP significantly. He also pointed out various fields of activities involving cooperative sectors, such as tourism, fisheries, handlooms and handicraft manufacturing and said that these activities can spin the wheel of development in the state and can become a major source of employment generation for people of all ages.
GHP Raju, Principal Secretary of Cooperation, said that the celebrations aimed to highlight the successes and achievements of the cooperative movement and also chalk out future strategies for strengthening the cooperative movement in the state and country. He said that for cooperative societies to succeed, one has to have motivation and willingness to strategise and strengthen the movement.
