Press Release
Press Release from Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. Gangtok
Information & Public Relations Department
Sikkim Milk Union Participates in the Grand Closing Ceremony of Cooperative Week Commemorating Five Years of the Ministry of Cooperation.
New Delhi, 6 July 2026:
Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. (SCMPUL) participated in the grand Closing Ceremony of the Cooperative Week, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India. The event witnessed the participation of more than 10,000 representatives from cooperative institutions, dairy unions, federations, and multi-state cooperative organizations from across the country.
Sikkim was represented by Dr. T. B. Ghatani, Managing Director, Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd., along with Shri K. B. Gurung, Manager (Accounts & Administration).
The programme was graced by Shri Amit Shah, Hon'ble Union Minister for Cooperation, as the Chief Guest. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Hon'ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministers of State for Cooperation, senior officials of the Ministries of Cooperation, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, the Chairman of NDDB, the Managing Director of Amul and several distinguished dignitaries were present.
In his keynote address, Shri Amit Shah described the cooperative movement as the heartbeat of India's rural economy and reiterated the Government's vision of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi." He stated that the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has revitalised the cooperative sector and provided a new direction to more than 30 crore cooperative members associated with over 8 lakh cooperative societies across the country.
The Union Minister emphasised that the Ministry does not seek to interfere in the functioning of State Cooperatives but aims to strengthen them through policy reforms, institutional support, digital transformation and capacity building. He highlighted that the Ministry has introduced a series of reforms covering storage, production, exports, digital services, green energy, seed production, market linkages and governance, thereby creating an integrated cooperative ecosystem.
Shri Amit Shah also outlined the five pillars of cooperative reforms, namely institutional reforms, resource strengthening, technology-enabled governance, cooperative database development and expansion of cooperative activities. He informed that a nationwide digital cooperative database has been created, enabling real-time information on cooperative institutions from the State level down to the Tehsil level, including audit status, turnover, banking services and identification of uncovered areas for dairy cooperatives and PACS.
The Hon'ble Minister further highlighted the establishment of Tribhuvan Sahkari University as a landmark institution for cooperative education and leadership development.
He stated that Model Bye-laws for PACS have now been widely adopted, enabling PACS to undertake nearly 300 different economic activities, while more than 50,000 e-PACS have already been established to strengthen digital governance and modern banking services.
Recalling the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Shri Amit Shah paid tribute to his immense contribution to national integration and the founding of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Hon'ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, highlighted the achievements of White Revolution 2.0. He informed that India produced 248 million metric tonnes of milk during 2024–25, retaining its position as the world's largest milk producer. He emphasized that expansion of Dairy Cooperative Societies is the key to improving milk quality, as organized cooperatives ensure quality assurance, traceability and better returns to milk producers, unlike the unorganized sector.
The Minister informed that NDDB has already strengthened more than 2 lakh Dairy Cooperative Societies, leading to significant improvements in milk quality, and that the Government has set an ambitious target of establishing 7.5 lakh multipurpose cooperative societies across the country. He also highlighted the establishment of milk processing infrastructure under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), promotion of domestic and compressed biogas systems, and collaborative initiatives involving NDDB, the Ministry of Cooperation and the Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
The programme also showcased the remarkable achievements of Banas Dairy, which has emerged as one of India's most successful dairy cooperatives. The cooperative has achieved an annual turnover exceeding ₹24,000 crore, employs 280 veterinarians, operates a state-of-the-art Banas Bovine Research and Breeding Centre, exports value-added food products to more than 25 countries, is associated with nearly 1.46 lakh women members, and disburses more than ₹1,300 crore every month directly to dairy farmers.
The institution has also established an 840-bed teaching hospital and a 200-seat medical college, demonstrating the far-reaching social impact of the cooperative movement.
A series of landmark initiatives were launched and dedicated to the nation during the closing ceremony. These included the launch of Model Bye-laws for Dairy Cooperative Societies,
inauguration and handing over of 135 cooperative food godowns with a cumulative capacity of 75 lakh metric tonnes across Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the foundation stone laying for 47 additional cooperative food godowns in six States.
The dignitaries also performed the Bhumi Pujan for tissue culture facilities at Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh) and Jalgaon (Maharashtra) under Bharat Beej Cooperative Union Ltd.
The event witnessed the launch of the NCDC 3.0 Portal, Geo-Tag Mobile Application, NDDB Dashboard Portal for Milk Supply Assessment, Cooperative Input and Delivery Services for Dairy Animal Productivity,
Cooperative Milk Producers Organisation multistate-Limited (CMPOL) and the inauguration of Gomay Cooperative Multistate Limited, aimed at promoting circular economy initiatives based on cow dung and organic resources.
The programme concluded with a collective call to strengthen the cooperative movement by expanding dairy cooperatives, promoting value addition, enhancing digital governance, creating sustainable rural livelihoods and accelerating the vision of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi" through cooperative-led development.
Dr. T. B. Ghatani, Managing Director, Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. (SCMPUL), and Shri K. B. Gurung, Manager (Accounts & Administration), represented the State of Sikkim at the national event. Their participation enabled Sikkim Milk Union to gain first-hand exposure to the Government of India's latest policy initiatives, institutional reforms and technological interventions for strengthening the cooperative sector, particularly the dairy cooperative movement under White Revolution 2.0. The insights gained from the event will be valuable in further advancing the cooperative dairy movement in Sikkim.
New Delhi, 6 July 2026:
Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. (SCMPUL) participated in the grand Closing Ceremony of the Cooperative Week, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India. The event witnessed the participation of more than 10,000 representatives from cooperative institutions, dairy unions, federations, and multi-state cooperative organizations from across the country.
Sikkim was represented by Dr. T. B. Ghatani, Managing Director, Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd., along with Shri K. B. Gurung, Manager (Accounts & Administration).
The programme was graced by Shri Amit Shah, Hon'ble Union Minister for Cooperation, as the Chief Guest. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Hon'ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministers of State for Cooperation, senior officials of the Ministries of Cooperation, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, the Chairman of NDDB, the Managing Director of Amul and several distinguished dignitaries were present.
In his keynote address, Shri Amit Shah described the cooperative movement as the heartbeat of India's rural economy and reiterated the Government's vision of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi." He stated that the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has revitalised the cooperative sector and provided a new direction to more than 30 crore cooperative members associated with over 8 lakh cooperative societies across the country.
The Union Minister emphasised that the Ministry does not seek to interfere in the functioning of State Cooperatives but aims to strengthen them through policy reforms, institutional support, digital transformation and capacity building. He highlighted that the Ministry has introduced a series of reforms covering storage, production, exports, digital services, green energy, seed production, market linkages and governance, thereby creating an integrated cooperative ecosystem.
Shri Amit Shah also outlined the five pillars of cooperative reforms, namely institutional reforms, resource strengthening, technology-enabled governance, cooperative database development and expansion of cooperative activities. He informed that a nationwide digital cooperative database has been created, enabling real-time information on cooperative institutions from the State level down to the Tehsil level, including audit status, turnover, banking services and identification of uncovered areas for dairy cooperatives and PACS.
The Hon'ble Minister further highlighted the establishment of Tribhuvan Sahkari University as a landmark institution for cooperative education and leadership development.
He stated that Model Bye-laws for PACS have now been widely adopted, enabling PACS to undertake nearly 300 different economic activities, while more than 50,000 e-PACS have already been established to strengthen digital governance and modern banking services.
Recalling the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Shri Amit Shah paid tribute to his immense contribution to national integration and the founding of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Hon'ble Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, highlighted the achievements of White Revolution 2.0. He informed that India produced 248 million metric tonnes of milk during 2024–25, retaining its position as the world's largest milk producer. He emphasized that expansion of Dairy Cooperative Societies is the key to improving milk quality, as organized cooperatives ensure quality assurance, traceability and better returns to milk producers, unlike the unorganized sector.
The Minister informed that NDDB has already strengthened more than 2 lakh Dairy Cooperative Societies, leading to significant improvements in milk quality, and that the Government has set an ambitious target of establishing 7.5 lakh multipurpose cooperative societies across the country. He also highlighted the establishment of milk processing infrastructure under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), promotion of domestic and compressed biogas systems, and collaborative initiatives involving NDDB, the Ministry of Cooperation and the Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
The programme also showcased the remarkable achievements of Banas Dairy, which has emerged as one of India's most successful dairy cooperatives. The cooperative has achieved an annual turnover exceeding ₹24,000 crore, employs 280 veterinarians, operates a state-of-the-art Banas Bovine Research and Breeding Centre, exports value-added food products to more than 25 countries, is associated with nearly 1.46 lakh women members, and disburses more than ₹1,300 crore every month directly to dairy farmers.
The institution has also established an 840-bed teaching hospital and a 200-seat medical college, demonstrating the far-reaching social impact of the cooperative movement.
A series of landmark initiatives were launched and dedicated to the nation during the closing ceremony. These included the launch of Model Bye-laws for Dairy Cooperative Societies,
inauguration and handing over of 135 cooperative food godowns with a cumulative capacity of 75 lakh metric tonnes across Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the foundation stone laying for 47 additional cooperative food godowns in six States.
The dignitaries also performed the Bhumi Pujan for tissue culture facilities at Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh) and Jalgaon (Maharashtra) under Bharat Beej Cooperative Union Ltd.
The event witnessed the launch of the NCDC 3.0 Portal, Geo-Tag Mobile Application, NDDB Dashboard Portal for Milk Supply Assessment, Cooperative Input and Delivery Services for Dairy Animal Productivity,
Cooperative Milk Producers Organisation multistate-Limited (CMPOL) and the inauguration of Gomay Cooperative Multistate Limited, aimed at promoting circular economy initiatives based on cow dung and organic resources.
The programme concluded with a collective call to strengthen the cooperative movement by expanding dairy cooperatives, promoting value addition, enhancing digital governance, creating sustainable rural livelihoods and accelerating the vision of "Sahakar Se Samriddhi" through cooperative-led development.
Dr. T. B. Ghatani, Managing Director, Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. (SCMPUL), and Shri K. B. Gurung, Manager (Accounts & Administration), represented the State of Sikkim at the national event. Their participation enabled Sikkim Milk Union to gain first-hand exposure to the Government of India's latest policy initiatives, institutional reforms and technological interventions for strengthening the cooperative sector, particularly the dairy cooperative movement under White Revolution 2.0. The insights gained from the event will be valuable in further advancing the cooperative dairy movement in Sikkim.
