India’s first university for the cooperative sector may come up in New Delhi for which the Centre has already given its in-principle approval.

It was not immediately clear if the government will upgrade its National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT), the only institute for imparting education and training in the sector, or set up an altogether new university.

“I believe it will be set up in Delhi,” said Minister of State for Cooperation BL Verma on Monday on the sidelines of an event organised by the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI).

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Verma also said that over 400 cooperative societies have registered on the Government’s e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in the last three months after the Cabinet approved on June 1, allowing multi-state cooperatives to use GeM for their procurement. It was on August 9 the cooperatives were formally on board the portal.

Addressing the All India Cooperative Week, Verma said organic products, especially from North-East do not find the right market, and cooperatives can now sell these items on the GeM portal.

‘NCUI Haat’

NCUI’s Chief Executive Sudhir Mahajan said cooperatives have been given a platform through ‘NCUI Haat’ to sell their products and the apex body of the sector has been trying to explore the export market for them by signing an agreement with different export councils.

NCUI’s Vice President K Shivadasan Nair said this is the right time to take benefit of the support extended by the Centre and change the way cooperatives function.

“In the past, the task of Green Revolution and White Revolution was entrusted to on cooperatives as the government had trust and confidence in us. Now we have lost that and there is a need to turn around the situation,” said Nair.

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