Along with rest of the country, the management of the Nagaland State Co-operative Union (NSCU) Dimapur observed the 71th All India Co-operative week (AICW), at NSCU conference hall here in Dimapur on Thursday.
The week-long celebration will be held from November 14 to 20 under the theme “Role of Co-operatives in building Viskit Bharat”, throughout the country.
Speaking on the theme, chief guest, EAC Dimapur, Litsenthung Kikon underscored the Government of India’s growing recognition of cooperative societies’ role in the country’s economic development.
He noted that this initiative reflects the government’s commitment to sustainable governance and collaboration with cooperatives, which have historically been key agents of change in India.
He emphasized that cooperatives are not just an economic model but represent a way of life built on democratic values, self-help, and collective responsibility. With over 8.5 lakh registered societies in India, he highlighted their proven success in improving socio-economic conditions and driving sustainable development.
Turning to Nagaland, he noted the state has about 3,000 cooperative societies, with over 2,000 registered across Dimapur, Chumukedima, and Niuland. However, he underscored that Nagas have sometimes formed cooperatives primarily to access government benefits.
He urged that this week of celebration should not be just a ceremonial occasion but a time for reflection and meaningful action, encouraging cooperatives to share their successes, exchange ideas, and collaborate with government officials to shape the future of the movement.
Nagaland, being a being a predominantly rural state, he mentioned the importance of the role of cooperatives as they help people in rural areas by providing platforms to sell their products, improving farmers’ economic conditions, and offering access to affordable credit.
He highlighted that organic farming is a key feature of Nagaland, with farmers using no pesticides or chemicals. This presents a great opportunity to market their produce both locally and globally, as demand for organic food continues to rise. Additionally, cooperatives contribute to job creation in sectors like handicrafts, promote eco-tourism, boosting revenue and generate employment for youth.
CEO, NSCU Imnanukshi in his introductory speech informed that this year, the Indian Cooperative Movement marks its 71st celebration and emphasized that the objective of the week-long celebration was to provide opportunity to all the cooperative institutions in India to review their progress, problems and highlight their achievements, policies and programme.
During the celebration, it was the responsibility of the cooperative societies to create awareness regarding the indispensable role being played by the cooperative sector, while highlighting the achievements, success and relevance of the cooperative movement.
Dy. RCS. Dimapur Bisinle Kemp underscored the significance of establishing the Ministry of Cooperation in July 2021, highlighting it as a major advancement for India’s Cooperative Movement. This ministry, she noted, provided a unified framework to support, regulate, and promote cooperatives nationwide.
She noted that cooperative sector has been granted various concessions and reducing disparities compared to public and private sectors. She further outlined key initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of cooperation.
Further, she highlighted that among the various initiatives, the ministry prioritised efforts to strengthen PACS, making it top focus in its agenda. She revealed that they have selected 27 societies for computerisation in the second phase from Dimapur, Chumukedima, and Niuland and noted that they have received computer hardware along with power backups (inverter and battery) for daily updating of their accounts in their business.
Other highlights of the programme included – short speeches from Board of Director NSCU, T. Imo Longkumer, co-operators and representatives from NSCB and NABARD.
Earlier, the chief guest hoisted the co-operative flag, programme was chaired by president SRCS Niuland, Shikali, welcomed address by ICS Dimapur, Athonlo Thyug, and vote of thanks by ICS Niuland, Lidila.