In a historic milestone for India’s cooperative sector, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel laid the foundation stone of the world’s first cooperative university—Tribhuvandas Cooperative University—in Anand on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives.
Spanning 125 acres and built with an investment of ₹500 crore, the university aims to become a hub for research, policy design, and skill development in the cooperative domain. It is named after Tribhuvandas Patel, the visionary who founded the Kheda Milk Cooperative in 1946, a movement that ultimately gave birth to Amul.
Speaking at the ceremony, Shri Amit Shah emphasized that the university would provide trained manpower for new cooperative ventures like taxi and insurance services, helping eliminate nepotism and favoritism in cooperative recruitments. “This university will train not just managers but committed cooperative leaders in the spirit of Tribhuvandas Patel,” he said.
The initiative stems from the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Cooperation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The ministry has already implemented seven major policy reforms to enhance transparency and inclusiveness in the sector, after consultations with top cooperative leaders across the country.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel noted that this university will mark a “new era in India’s cooperative culture,” empowering both rural and urban youth with technical, financial, and governance skills. “The university will not only offer academic learning but will instill the values of service, innovation, and accountability,” he added.
Senior dignitaries including Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishna Pal and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Gujarat Health Minister Shri Rishikesh Patel, Cooperation Minister Shri Jagdish Vishwakarma, and NCDC Secretary Dr. Ashish Bhutani were also present. Tributes were paid to Dr. Verghese Kurien and Smt. Ela Bhatt for their roles in India’s cooperative success stories.
The foundation ceremony also included the release of two NCERT textbook modules on cooperation, reflecting a broader effort to integrate cooperative thinking into India’s educational curriculum.
With over 40 lakh employees and 80 lakh board members involved in India’s cooperative sector—impacting nearly one in every four citizens—this university is set to become the epicenter of global cooperative education, research, and policy formulation.
