ICA-AP participated in a pivotal discussion and consultation as part of the Regional Workshop on the New National Cooperation Policy 2023 of India, held on 21 November 2023. It was organised by the National Cooperative Policy Secretariat in collaboration with the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune, and held at Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC), Gurugram. The event aimed to enlighten stakeholders about the vision and provisions of the New National Cooperation Policy (NCP) and discuss feedback on the draft national policy document.

The policy, drafted under the chairmanship of Shri Suresh Prabhu, Ex-Union Minister, by a 47-member committee established by the Government of India, seeks to achieve "Sahkar se Samridhi" by fortifying the cooperative movement in the country through collaboration. The regional workshops were designed to provide insights into the drafting process and the policy's approach.

The consultation saw active participation from various stakeholders, including Registrars of Cooperative Societies, State Cooperative Departments, State Federations, Regional Cooperative Institutions, Cooperative Societies, Cooperative Banks, Credit Societies, State Union, NCP Committee members, and Primary Cooperative Societies.

Mr. Ganesh Gopal, Lead-Entrepreneurship Development, represented ICA-AP at the consultation and workshop where several inputs including global best practices, assessing adherence to cooperative identity, use of technology by cooperatives, promotion of youth entrepreneurship, diversification into sunrise sectors and priority lending to sustainable financing by cooperatives were provided.

The workshop, conducted in a hybrid mode for the first half of the day, commenced with an address by Mr. Suresh Prabhu, the Chairman of the NCP committee, followed by a panel discussion and interactive sessions with stakeholders. The event had two primary objectives:

• Informing Stakeholders: Participants were briefed about the NCP 2023, highlighting its provisions and key features.
• Apprising Stakeholders: The workshop aimed to apprise stakeholders of the approach followed in the drafting of the policy document and take feedback on the same.

 Mr. Satish Marathe, Director, Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, National Housing Bank and Vice Chairman, LINAC and also a member of the NCP Committee, addressed the audience on NCP 2023, providing insights into its approach and the drafting process and addressing several of the questions raised by the panellists. Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM, Pune, made a detailed presentation on the policy document, highlighting seven areas that the policy has focused on while emphasising the transformative potential of cooperatives in society.

The regional workshop served as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration and provided an opportunity for shared deliberation among cooperators in the Northern and Central zones. The engagement of stakeholders, expert insights, and interactive sessions underscored the significance of cooperative endeavours in realising the vision of "Sahakar se Samridhi."