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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated a series of initiatives undertaken by the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF) to strengthen the cooperative sector and promote women's empowerment, in Kollam, Keralam.
Addressing the ceremony, Shah said the demand for a separate Cooperation Ministry at the Centre had existed since independence but remained unfulfilled until now. "Since independence till now, all the farmers of the country and all the people associated with the co-operative sector have had a demand that a Co-operative Ministry should be formed at the Centre, but it was not fulfilled. By creating a Co-operative Ministry, the PM has taken a big step for the country's rural development, agricultural development, and women's empowerment," he said. He said that the cooperative movement was already functioning in a structured manner before independence in Keralam, highlighting regions like Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. He said, "Keralam is a very old state with strong cooperative infrastructure. More than 23,000 cooperatives are running very well here. I also invite the Cooperation Minister of Keralam to come to Delhi, and we will be happy if Keralam takes maximum advantage of all the schemes of the Government of India. We can also provide you special help and guidance in the field of dairy, seed, and organic agriculture. Women empowerment through cooperatives is the basic objective of the country's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi." Shah launched the "SHE Mart" initiative in the state, a scheme announced by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2026-27 Union Budget under the SHE Mart Mission, aimed at changing the lives of rural women from credit seekers to enterprise owners. "The 'SHE-Mart' initiative in the cooperative sectorannounced by the Finance Minister in the budgetis being launched today in Keralam. Alongside this, the distribution of onions, 'Bharat Atta', and 'Bharat Rice' to the citizens of Kerala at affordable rates via NCCF and NAFED mobile vans has also commenced. Furthermore, scholarships have been awarded to daughters of two farming families under the NAFED Welfare Scholarship Scheme," he said. Explaining the initiative further, Shah said, "The concept of this 'SHE Mart' is a kind of self-help entrepreneur mart and is a very good effort to connect women SHG and rural industry entrepreneurs directly with the market and directly with the consumers. Indian brand products and local products will be available in more than 2500 retail outlets by NCCF as well as more than 300 'SHE Mart' stores in Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka." (ANI)
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