The corporate and cooperative sectors must team up to build social enterprises and unlock demand in rural India, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Vikramjit Singh Sahney said at the CII Annual Summit.
Known for his push on grassroots development, Dr. Sahney argued that corporates and cooperatives working together could reach the last mile in villages, spurring rural economies and creating sustainable livelihoods. “If we truly want to spur rural demand and bring inclusive growth, corporates and cooperatives cannot work in silos, they must collaborate to promote social enterprises,” he said. This kind of synergy, he added, would help bridge the stubborn urban-rural divide.
Dr. Sahney put a sharp focus on women-led groups. Women-led cooperatives, self-help groups (SHGs), and women-run enterprises have huge potential but often lack the backing they need, he said. They should get greater institutional support to evolve into technology-enabled, professionally managed outfits, using digital payments, online procurement, and e-market platforms to boost their effectiveness and scale.
Cooperatives need to get more transparent with professional leadership, regular audits, autonomy, and independent boards. The newly enacted Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act gives them the legal tools to do just that, allowing real independence while keeping accountability in check.
The session, chaired by Sh. Suresh Prabhu, former Union Commerce Minister and India's ex-G20 Sherpa, drew nods from industry leaders and policy makers.
They agreed cooperatives are an underused lever for inclusive growth. Dr. Sahney's ideas line up with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘sahakar se samriddhi’ (prosperity through cooperation) push, which fits with the bigger discussions happening about improvi