Amit Shah Inaugurates EARTH Summit 2025, Launches 13+ Sahakar Sarathi Services

Shri Amit Shah explained that the three EARTH Summits being organized nationwide serve as an integrated effort to re-evaluate and reimagine rural development.

Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the EARTH Summit 2025 today at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, marking a major step toward strengthening India's cooperative movement and rural development framework. The event witnessed the launch of over 13 new digital services and products under the Sahakar Sarathi platform, aimed at modernising cooperative institutions and expanding their technological capabilities.

The dignitaries present included Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Speaker Shri Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Minister Shri Jitu Bhai Vaghani, Deputy Speaker and NAFED Chairman Shri Jetha Bhai Ahir, Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Gujarat State Cooperative Bank Chairman Shri Ajay Bhai Patel, NABARD Chairman Shri Shaji K.V., and several other senior leaders.

13+ New Services Under Sahakar Sarathi Launched

Shri Amit Shah launched multiple innovative services designed to digitize and enhance cooperative operations nationwide, including:

• Digi KCC (Digital Kisan Credit Card)

• Campaign Sarathi

• Website Sarathi

• Cooperative Governance Index

• ePACS

• World’s Largest Grain Storage Application

• Shiksha Sarathi

• Sarathi Technology Forum

• and several other tech-enabled tools

These services aim to unify technological platforms across cooperative banks and PACS, enabling digital lending, recovery, appraisal, KYC, legal processes, and real-time monitoring of rural cooperative institutions.

EARTH Summit: A National Dialogue on Rural Development

Shri Amit Shah explained that the three EARTH Summits being organized nationwide serve as an integrated effort to re-evaluate and reimagine rural development. The second summit in Gandhinagar marks a crucial link in this series, with the final summit scheduled in Delhi next year to present a national policy blueprint.

He highlighted that the objective goes beyond economic strengthening:

“These summits will help resolve key issues across four ministries linked to the rural economy and create a unified policy framework.”

Reviving Gandhi’s Vision: Rural Development at the Center

Amit Shah recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s belief that India’s progress cannot be achieved without keeping villages at the heart of national development. Post-independence, sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooperatives were neglected, but since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed rural development into the core axis of national growth.

Cooperative Growth Model to Expand Nationwide

Shah announced a bold vision for the coming years:

• A cooperative institution in every Panchayat of India

• 50 crore active cooperative members

• Significant increase in cooperative sector’s GDP contribution

He emphasized that Gujarat’s model—where all cooperative institutions maintain accounts with cooperative banks—has massively increased low-cost deposits, improved liquidity, and expanded rural credit capacity fivefold. A nationwide rollout is being planned.

Technology and Cooperatives: A New Era of Inclusion

Amit Shah stressed that technological adoption is essential for cooperative growth. Many smaller cooperatives lack digital infrastructure, and NABARD’s initiative of offering 13+ digital services under Sahakar Sarathi bridges this gap.

All cooperative banks—district, state, agricultural, and urban—will now operate under a single technology umbrella, ensuring:

• seamless digital banking

• improved credit disbursement

• modern KYC and documentation

• advanced recovery systems

• transparent real-time monitoring

He also shared that farmers using e-KCC will soon enjoy international credit card–level facilities.

Organic Farming, Dairy, Taxies and Insurance: Expanding Cooperative Opportunities

Shah shared major achievements and future plans:

• 49 lakh certified organic farmers cultivating 40+ organic products, sold online

• A national organic lab network with Bharat Organics and Amul

• Multi-state cooperatives will purchase, certify, and export farmer produce

• Sahakar Taxi, already with 51,000+ drivers, set to become India’s largest cooperative taxi service

• Expansion of cooperative insurance across health, life, agriculture, and accidental coverage

He reiterated that strengthening cooperatives automatically strengthens agriculture, dairy, fisheries, and animal husbandry, forming the backbone of rural prosperity.

A Vision for a Strong Cooperative Future

Concluding the event, Amit Shah described cooperation as a Kalpavriksha, whose roots lie in public welfare and whose branches support millions of livelihoods. He expressed confidence that the summit’s open discussions, problem analysis, and solution-driven approach will forge a robust and actionable framework for rural development in line with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

---