Tribhuvan Sahkari University Holds First Convocation in Anand

Congratulating the graduating students, Mohol said a convocation should not be viewed as the conclusion of education but as the beginning of a new journey.

India's first national university dedicated to the cooperative sector marked a historic milestone as Tribhuvan Sahkari University held its first convocation in Anand, Gujarat. The ceremony reflected the government's broader effort to professionalise the cooperative movement by developing skilled leaders, researchers and managers capable of driving the sector's future growth.

Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol attended the convocation as the chief guest, where 302 students received graduate degrees and two scholars were awarded PhD degrees. The event was attended by Gujarat Cooperation Minister Jitubhai Vaghani, Vice-Chancellor Dr. J. M. Vyas, senior officials, faculty members, students and their families.

Congratulating the graduating students, Mohol said a convocation should not be viewed as the conclusion of education but as the beginning of a new journey. He encouraged graduates to apply their knowledge in strengthening India's cooperative institutions and contributing to rural development through innovation, professional management and technology.

University aims to build the next generation of cooperative leaders

The Minister said the university was established under the vision of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supported by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. Its objective is to create trained human resources capable of connecting cooperation with modern management practices, emerging technologies and research.

Located in Anand, the birthplace of India's White Revolution, the university draws inspiration from cooperative pioneers such as Tribhuvandas Patel and Dr Verghese Kurien, whose efforts transformed India into the world's largest milk producer through the Amul movement. Mohol noted that the institution has inherited the academic legacy of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), which has trained more than 18,000 professionals through over 850 management development programmes. IRMA was granted the status of an Institution of National Importance in 2025 before being established as Tribhuvan Sahkari University.

The Minister said India's cooperative sector now includes more than 8.5 lakh cooperative societies with over 32 crore members, making it one of the country's largest community-based economic networks. Since the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, more than 140 reform measures have been introduced to modernise cooperative institutions and improve governance.

Cooperative sector expands into new industries and employment opportunities

Mohol highlighted several initiatives designed to strengthen the cooperative ecosystem, including the expansion of multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), and financial support through the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). He said NCDC has provided nearly ₹4.5 lakh crore in assistance to cooperative institutions between 2014 and 2025, compared with around ₹55,000 crore between 1963 and 2014.

The Minister said cooperative institutions are now expanding beyond traditional sectors such as dairy and banking into organic farming, seed production, tourism, food processing, insurance, digital services and storage. He also referred to the Bharat Taxi initiative, which follows the principle of "The Driver is the Owner" and is expected to expand to around 500 cities over the next two years.

Speaking about future opportunities, Mohol said the cooperative sector is expected to require more than 17 lakh trained professionals in the coming years. He urged graduates to embrace artificial intelligence, digital platforms and innovation to modernise cooperative institutions while serving as ambassadors of the university and promoting the spirit of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' in their professional lives. During his visit to Gujarat, the Minister also reviewed preparations at the National Institute of Cooperative Management (NICM) in Gandhinagar for the launch of additional academic programmes under Tribhuvan Sahkari University.