Over 400 cooperatives registered on GeM portal in last 3 months: Govt

More than 400 cooperative societies have registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in last three months, Union Minister B L Verma said on Monday.

On June 1, the Union Cabinet had given its approval for expanding the mandate of GeM to allow procurement by cooperatives as buyers on GeM. But it was on August 9, the cooperatives were formally onboarded the portal.

"So far, more than 400 cooperatives have registered on the GeM portal and begun the trade," the Minister of State for Cooperation said.

He was addressing the 69th All India Cooperative Week organised by National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) here.

Organic products, especially from North-East do not find a right market. Be it organic or other products, cooperatives can sell these items on the GeM portal, he added.

Besides this, the minister said the government has taken several measures to strengthen and expand cooperatives since formation of a new cooperation ministry in July 2021.

On setting up of a new cooperation university, the minister said an in-principle approval has been given for it.

"I believe it will be set up in Delhi," he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

He also said a national committee, headed by former union minister Suresh Prabhu, has been set up for drafting a new cooperation policy and the consultation process is underway.

On the occasion, Verma also unveiled a statue of late Choudhary Brahm Prakash, the first chief minister of Delhi.

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

"In the past, the task of Green Revolution and White Revolution was entrusted 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," Nair asserted.

NCUI Chief Executive Sudhir Mahajan said cooperatives have been given a platform through 'NCUI Haat' to sell their products and NCUI is exploring an export market for them by signing an agreement with the Export Council.