Historic Step: India Gets Its First Cooperative University

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone for the ₹500 crore Tribhuvan Sahkari University in Anand, Gujarat — a first-of-its-kind institution aimed at bringing transparency and meritocracy to India’s cooperative sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Shah emphasized that the university will address long-standing concerns of nepotism in cooperative recruitment. “Until now, we hired people first and trained them later. With this university, only trained professionals will enter the sector, ensuring transparency and eliminating favoritism,” he said.

The university will offer specialized education in technology, accounting, scientific practices, and marketing, while also promoting the core principles of the cooperative movement — equity, inclusivity, and grassroots empowerment. Shah noted that graduates will be equipped not only with technical skills but also with the values necessary to uplift marginalized communities, including the poor, women, tribals, and Dalits.

Shah also proposed that the Gujarat government consider incorporating “cooperatives” as a subject in the state’s school curriculum, to build awareness and understanding of the cooperative model from an early age.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.