Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill Passed: India’s First National Cooperative University

A Milestone for Cooperative Education

Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill Passed: India’s First National Cooperative University: The Lok Sabha has passed the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025, marking the creation of India’s first national cooperative university. To be established at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in Gujarat, the university will cater to the training, research, and education needs of the cooperative sector. It will affiliate cooperative training institutes from across India, offering degree, diploma, and PhD courses, and is expected to certify 8 lakh individuals annually.

Honouring a Legacy of Cooperative Transformation

The university is named after Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel, the legendary cooperative leader and founder of Amul. Patel’s initiative empowered dairy farmers and turned Amul into a global dairy brand. His model helped rural communities take ownership of production and profit, showcasing the strength of local-level cooperation. The university reflects this legacy and aims to recreate similar success across India’s cooperative sectors.

Economic Opportunities and Skill Empowerment

This new university is expected to standardise education in cooperative management, a sector that has often relied on informal hiring and limited professional training. By introducing formal qualifications and skill-building, the university could become a job generator across rural areas. It also aims to break internal monopolies in cooperative hiring and bring transparency and competence into leadership roles.

Government Investments and Future Projects

To support this initiative, the government will inject ₹10,000 crore into the dairy cooperative sector. This funding is part of a broader circular economy strategy, including provisions for fodder, veterinary services, and infrastructure. The government also plans to launch ‘Sahkar Taxi’, a ride-sharing cooperative model, and establish a cooperative insurance company, further diversifying income sources and services within the cooperative framework.

Challenges and Regional Concerns

While the bill was widely supported, opposition parties raised concerns over selecting Gujarat as the host state. Critics argued that states like Maharashtra or Kerala, with strong cooperative movements, might have been more appropriate. There were also concerns about bureaucratic inefficiencies potentially impacting the university’s outreach and impact.

Long-Term Goals for Cooperative Development

The university will seek to bring together 284 cooperative training institutes under one academic and administrative framework. It will focus on long-term education, offering specialised courses and establishing centres of excellence in cooperative studies. This aligns with the central government’s vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’, or Prosperity through Cooperation, which aims to revitalise rural sectors like dairy, fisheries, and cooperative banking with professional support and trained leadership.

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Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill Passed: India’s First National Cooperative University: