Amit Shah Opens EARTH Summit for Rural Growth

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah Opens EARTH Summit to Boost Rural Development

Why in the News ?

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the EARTH Summit 2025 in Gandhinagar, launched 13 new cooperative services under Sahakar Sarathi, and outlined the government’s long-term vision to transform India’s rural economy through cooperation, innovation and inclusive development.

Amit Shah Opens EARTH Summit for Rural Growth

Key Announcements and New Cooperative Initiatives:

  • Summit Inauguration: Amit Shah inaugurated the second edition of the EARTH Summit 2025, part of a three-summit series aimed at rural transformation.
  • New Services Launched: Over 13 new offerings were introduced under Sahakar Sarathi, including Digi KCC, Campaign Sarathi, Website Sarathi, Cooperative Governance Index, ePACS, and the World’s Largest Grain Storage Application.
  • Skill and Tech Platforms: Tools like Shiksha Sarathi and Sarathi Technology Forum aim to modernise cooperative education and digital capacity.
  • Policy Framework Ahead: The discussions in Gandhinagar will feed into a comprehensive rural development policy framework to be finalised at the third EARTH Summit in Delhi in 2026.
  • Rural Economy Focus: Shah emphasised that four key ministries responsible for rural development will collaboratively resolve long-pending issues through these summits.

Vision for Cooperatives and Rural Transformation

  • Gandhian Development Principle: Shah reiterated Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of village-centric development, stating it had been ignored post-Independence.
  • Shift Since 2014: Significant policy changes since 2014 have placed agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooperatives at the heart of national development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
  • Cooperative Institutions Expansion: The government plans to establish a cooperative institution in every Panchayat, expanding cooperative membership to 50 crore people.
  • GDP Contribution Goal: Strengthening cooperatives is expected to substantially increase the cooperative sector’s contribution to India’s GDP.
  • Inclusive Growth: Shah said these efforts will ensure that small farmers, rural women, and livestock-dependent households benefit from economic opportunities.

About Cooperatives and Rural Development Framework:

●     Cooperative Movement: A key pillar of India’s rural economy, rooted in principles of mutual assistance, democratic control, and local empowerment.

●     Ministry of Cooperation: Established in 2021 to strengthen cooperative structures, ensure transparency, and modernise the sector.

●     Sahakar Sarathi: A government initiative providing digital, financial, governance and capacity-building tools to cooperatives.

●     Kisan Credit Card (KCC): A crucial financial instrument enabling farmers to access credit for agriculture and allied activities.

●     Rural Development Linkage: Cooperatives support India’s wider goals of self-reliance, inclusive growth, food security, and rural employment generation.