Cooperatives play crucial role in strengthening rural economy: Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan
AP Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan participating as chief guest at the convocation of VAMNICOM through videoconference from Raj Bhavan on Monday
Vijayawada: Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan on Monday, stated the cooperative societies play a crucial role in strengthening rural economy and in ensuring socio-economic development of the country in inclusive and sustainable manner.
He was participating in the convocation of Vaikunth Mehta National Institute for Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) at Pune in Maharashtra through online platform from the Raj Bhavan.
VAMNICOM, named after Vaikunth Mehta who served as the Minister of Finance and Cooperation in the then Bombay State and was the first Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission, offers two-year full time residential Agri-Business Management programme at the post-graduation level.
The Governor said that cooperative movement acts as an enabler to unify local human resources and channelise energies for the growth of rural India and with more than 8 lakh cooperatives they have a significant presence in all the areas of socio-economic activities.
He said dairy cooperatives have ushered in milk revolution in the country making Amul a household name and institutions like IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and Amul have become big success stories in the cooperative sector besides a large number urban cooperative banks, primary agriculture cooperative societies, housing, fishery etc at State-level which are contributing to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in the rural areas.
He also said that the institute has been providing active support and guidance to 14 state-level Institutes of Cooperative Management (ICMs) and five Regional Institutes of Co-operative Management (RICMs) through Faculty Development Programmes and training on Agricultural Banking.
The role of VAMNICOM assumes greater significance in the context of sweeping reforms brought about through the new Farm Act 2020, in agricultural sector, said the Governor.
Agri-business is an important sector and there is a need for large pool of skilled manpower at managerial, supervisory and worker level to give a boost to this sector and institutions like the VAMNICOM must become facilitators, he said.
Governor Harichandan presented medals to top three rank holders in the PG Diploma in Management – Agri-business Management programme.
Director, VAMNICOM Dr KK Tripathy,joint programme director Dr D Ravi, secretary to governor Mukesh Kumar Meena also attended the programme.