The Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025, aims to establish India’s first cooperative university in Anand, Gujarat . The bill has been passed by both houses of Parliament .
Here’s a detailed overview:
- Objective: The university seeks to create qualified manpower for the cooperative sector . It addresses the need for standardized education, training, and research in the cooperative sector .
- Location: The university will be located in Anand, Gujarat .
- Named After: The university is named after Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel, a pioneer of the cooperative movement in India and instrumental in establishing Amul .
- Training Capacity: The university aims to train approximately 800,000 individuals annually .
- Scope: The university will cover all states across India, with affiliated institutes nationwide . It seeks to unify 284 cooperative training institutes across India .
- Education and Programs: The university will offer degree and diploma courses, PhD programs, distance education, and e-learning courses . It will establish sector-specific “Schools of Excellence” in areas like dairy and fisheries .
- Addressing Capacity Building: The bill addresses the long-pending issue of capacity building for employees and board members in the cooperative sector .
- Comprehensive Structure: It will create a comprehensive, integrated, and standardized structure for education, training, and research to ensure a stable and quality supply of skilled manpower for various jobs in cooperatives .
- Other initiatives: The government is planning to establish a cooperative insurance company and “Sahkar Taxi” services on a cooperative model .
- Ministerial Statements: The Minister of State for Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, noted that over 50% of the population is engaged in agriculture, with 8 lakh institutions involving 30 crore people .
- IFFCO’s Support: IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) has welcomed the announcement and approval of the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill .
