JAMMU: The Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperation (CEDC) of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) organized a pivotal Stakeholder Meeting in collaboration with Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) on Wednesday.

The event witnessed the active participation of esteemed faculties from IIT BHU, IIT Roorkee, IIT Jammu, Goa Institute of Management, Gandhigram Rural Institute (Tamilnadu), NIT Manipur, and other higher education institutions designated as Regional Coordinating Institutions (RCIs) under UBA.

Representatives from NGOs and Industry Groups also attended the meeting.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), a flagship program of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, currently encompasses 4000 colleges/universities and 20,000 villages across India. The primary agenda of the meeting was to foster collaboration between stakeholders in empowering cooperatives and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at 25 locations throughout India.

Sumit Singh, Advisor (Strategy and Cooperation), NCUI, provided an insightful introduction, emphasizing the pivotal role of cooperative entrepreneurship in empowering the needy. He highlighted the salient features and advantages of NCUI Haat, Incubation Centre, Skill Development Centre, and other key initiatives designed to build capacities within cooperatives across India.

Senior faculties from IIT Delhi, the National Coordinating Institution for UBA, elucidated the objectives of UBA and its integral role in community development.

Manik Batra, Chairman, ASSOCHAM J&K Council, graced the event as the Special Guest and shared insights into the crucial role of Industry in strengthening the cooperative movement. Emphasizing the need to focus on food security and healthy practices, he highlighted the importance of sustainability measures in the field of rural livelihoods.

Prof. Suyash Tiwary, Senior Faculty, GIM, Goa, and Dr. Sandeep Ghosh, Faculty, IIT BHU, delved into the necessity of identifying technology needs for artisans and the transformative role of entrepreneurship development in empowering communities.

A consensus was reached during the meeting to conduct a comprehensive need assessment for selected cooperatives and SHGs at all pilot project locations. An appropriate implementation plan will be devised based on these assessments.

The Stakeholder Meeting marked a significant step towards fostering collaboration and synergy among institutions and organizations committed to the development of cooperatives and SHGs across India.