Amit Shah to Lay Foundation of India’s First National Cooperative University

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah will perform the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ and lay the foundation stone for India’s first national-level cooperative university, “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University (TSU), at Anand, Gujarat, on 5 July 2025. The event will be graced by Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Assembly Speaker Shri Shankar Chaudhary, Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Muralidhar Mohol, Gujarat’s Education Minister Shri Rishikesh Patel, Cooperation Minister Shri Jagdish Vishwakarma, Cooperation Ministry Secretary Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, TSU Vice Chancellor Dr J.M. Vyas, and other dignitaries.

Established under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of Shri Amit Shah, the “Tribhuvan” Cooperative University represents a historic step to build capacity in the cooperative sector and realise the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. The university aims to integrate cooperation, innovation, and employment, forming a strong foundation for the sector’s future.

During the event, Shri Amit Shah will also participate in tree plantation under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign—an environmental movement inspired by the Prime Minister, promoting cultural and ecological responsibility. Additionally, he will unveil an educational module developed by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to familiarise school students with cooperative principles and India’s cooperative movement.

The university’s mission is to train professional manpower for the expanding cooperative sector, offering specialised education, training, and research in cooperative management, finance, law, and rural development. It will empower grassroots cooperative institutions by encouraging innovation, capacity building, governance enhancement, and inclusive rural economic growth.

Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, TSU will provide flexible, multidisciplinary programmes ranging from PhDs to managerial degrees, diplomas, and certificates at various levels. It plans to establish subject-specific schools at its Anand campus and in other states, creating a national network to standardise cooperative education. The university aims to connect over 200 existing cooperative institutions across India within four years.

To meet skill development demands, TSU plans to train approximately 2 million personnel from cooperative societies—including Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy, and fisheries—over the next five years. Addressing the shortage of qualified faculty, the university will develop a strong teaching base through PhD programmes focused on cooperative studies.

Currently, cooperative education is fragmented and limited to a few states, insufficient for sector needs. To foster innovation and affordable technologies, TSU will establish a dedicated research and development council to support cooperative research, coordinate. with national and international institutions, and implement world-class practices across affiliated institutions.