Maharashtra to decide on reviving Cooperative Union education fund within a month
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government will make a decision within a month on reviving the discontinued education fund of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Union. Speaking at the Sahakar Gaurav Awards ceremony held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Nariman Point, Mumbai, Fadnavis highlighted the need to develop trained cooperative workers to support the state's massive cooperative sector.
The announcement was made on the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives. The ceremony was organised by the 107-year-old Maharashtra State Cooperative Union, which is headed by BJP Group Leader MLA Pravin Darekar, and Sahakari Maharashtra.
During his address, Fadnavis praised the historical role of Maharashtra in India's cooperative movement, which has evolved over 125 years. He noted that the state's first cooperative credit society was established in 1904, and the first rural cooperative society was founded at Kankavli in the Konkan region. Today, Maharashtra is home to more than two lakh cooperative institutions.
Fadnavis also highlighted cooperative reforms at the national level, pointing to the establishment of a separate Union Ministry of Cooperation in 2021 under Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He added that the newly announced National Cooperative Policy aims to triple the cooperative sector's contribution to India's GDP over the next two decades.
The Chief Minister underlined that cooperative housing societies make up nearly 40 to 45 per cent of all cooperative institutions in the state. He assured that the government would consider changes in the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) to extend self-redevelopment benefits to housing societies in cities outside Mumbai.
Earlier in the event, MLA Pravin Darekar urged the government to restore the Cooperative Union's education fund and financial assistance. Darekar also called for extending the self-redevelopment policy to municipal corporations such as Pune, Thane, and Nashik through suitable amendments to development regulations, while seeking support for urban banks, cooperative credit societies, and consumer cooperatives.
The ceremony concluded with Fadnavis presenting awards to outstanding individuals and institutions in banking, housing, agriculture, rural development, social service, and cooperative leadership. The event was attended by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Industries Minister Uday Samant, Minister of State for Cooperation Pankaj Bhoyar, and several other legislators.
