Cooperative societies PAN data crucial for GDP measurement: Cooperation Secy

Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani on Friday called for collecting Permanent Account Number (PAN) data from all cooperative societies to ensure more accurate representation of the sector in national GDP calculations. “The ministry is committed to promoting cooperative-led economic growth with robust inter-state cooperation to realise the vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi‘,” Bhutani said at a two-day National Level Review Meeting in Shillong.

The secretary highlighted “White Revolution 2.0” as a flagship initiative for rural development through the dairy sector, citing Gujarat and Maharashtra as successful models for women’s empowerment and improved child nutrition, an official statement said.

“We are partnering with institutions like Amul and NDDB to support states, including Assam, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, in expanding dairy infrastructure,” he said, noting that animal husbandry’s economic potential now exceeds traditional crop cultivation.

Bhutani called the recent passage of legislation to establish India’s first Tribhuvan Sahkari University “historic”, saying it would standardise cooperative education across states and benefit over 250 existing cooperative institutions.

Representatives from states, Union territories, cooperative federations, financial institutions and policymakers attended the meeting.