Sahakar Mitra Scheme

Sahakar Mitra Scheme: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has launched the Sahakar Mitra Scheme, also known as the Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP). Administered by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), this initiative aims to provide a short-term learning experience, not exceeding four months, to young professionals. The internship program, with a focus on the cooperative sector, is designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of participants, fostering innovation and self-reliance. It is a paid internship for a duration of four months.

What is Sahakar Mitra Scheme?

The Sahakar Mitra Scheme, also known as the Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP), is an initiative where the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) offers short-term opportunities, not exceeding four months, for young professionals to acquire learning experience. This program facilitates the application of skills and knowledge in an organizational context, contributing to the professional development of participants.

The primary goal of the Sahakar Mitra Scheme is to provide professional graduates with the chance to gain practical experience in the functioning of NCDC and other relevant cooperative aspects.

Key Highlights of the Sahakar Mitra Scheme

1. Targeted Entrepreneurship: The Sahakar Mitra Scheme is designed to foster entrepreneurship based on cooperative principles, with a particular emphasis on engaging youth from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
2. Ambitious Training Goals: The scheme sets an ambitious target of training 5 lakh youth as ‘Sahakar Mitras’ or cooperative ambassadors within a span of 5 years.
3. Establishment of New Cooperatives: Trained youth under the program will actively contribute to the establishment of 10,000 new cooperative societies across the country.
4. Youth Age Group: The scheme is tailored for youth between the ages of 18 to 35. This demographic will undergo comprehensive training to emerge as entrepreneurs within the cooperative framework.
5. Training Modules: The training covers essential aspects such as leadership, business planning, project preparation, and financial management, equipping the youth with the necessary skills for cooperative entrepreneurship.
6. Establishment and Guidance: Post-training, Sahakar Mitras will play a crucial role in establishing new cooperative societies and providing guidance to existing ones.
7. Self-Employment Opportunities: A key objective of the scheme is to create self-employment opportunities through the cooperative model, aligning with the broader goal of promoting economic independence.
8. Cultivation of Cooperative Culture: The Sahakar Mitra Scheme seeks to instill a cooperative culture, emphasizing values of self-help, mutual assistance, and self-reliance throughout the country.
9. Transparent Selection Process: The selection of Sahakar Mitras will be conducted through a transparent online process, ensuring fairness and openness. Training will be imparted at institutes officially recognized by the Ministry of Cooperation.

Key Details of Sahakar Mitra Scheme

• Name of the Scheme: Scheme on Internship Programme – Sahakar Mitra
• Government Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
• Initiative of: National Cooperative Development Corporation
• Aim: To provide a learning experience to young professionals about the cooperative sector and bring out innovative solutions, making them self-reliant.
• Official Website: http://sip.ncdc.in/

Objectives of Sahakar Mitra Scheme

• Teach interns about the role, contribution, and impact of NCDC and cooperatives.
• Provide practical insights into the working of NCDC.
• Orient professional graduates towards a cooperative business model.
• Enable interns to take up leadership/entrepreneurial roles in Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs) under cooperative acts.
• Assist cooperatives with business plans and projects through assured project loans on liberalized terms for young cooperators on startup mode.
• Promote the idea of ‘Vocal for Local’ in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat.’
• Contribute to capacity development in the cooperative sector.

Eligibility Criteria

Qualified individuals for the Sahakar Mitra Summer Internship Scheme include:

1. Professional graduates with a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in disciplines such as Agri, Dairy, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Sciences, Fisheries, Horticulture, Textiles, Handloom, IT, etc.
2. Professional MBA Graduates or those pursuing/completed courses like MBA Agri-Business, MBA Cooperative, M.Com, MCA, MBA Finance, MBA International Trade, MBA Forestry, MBA Rural Development, MBA Project Management, Inter ICAI, Inter ICWA, etc.

Other Key Points

• Financial support of Rs. 45,000 is provided for the four-month internship period.
• Eligible professionals can register through the NCDC official website.
• The scheme trains a maximum of 60 interns.
• A regional office can host a maximum of two interns at a time, with a maximum of two interns recommended from a particular institution in a year.
• Once selected, an intern cannot be re-selected for the Sahakar Mitra Scheme.
• Online registration is the only mode of application.
• The internship period for an individual shall not exceed four months, and a person cannot be taken as an intern more than once.

National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

• Formation: The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was established through a parliamentary act in 1963, operating as a statutory Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
• Headquarters: NCDC operates from its Head Office located in New Delhi, overseeing various Regional Offices.
• Objectives: The primary objectives of NCDC include the planning and promotion of programs related to the production, processing, marketing, storage, export, and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, and other specified commodities and services, all based on cooperative principles. Notably, NCDC holds the distinction of being the sole statutory organization serving as an apex financial and developmental institution exclusively dedicated to the cooperative sector. The institution plays a pivotal role as a major financial entity for cooperatives, exemplified by its recent initiative, Mission Sahakar 22, aimed at doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

About Cooperatives

As defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a cooperative is an autonomous association of individuals who voluntarily unite to fulfill their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. Examples of cooperatives include Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

An FPO, constituted by a collective of farm producers, is a registered entity with producers as shareholders. It engages in business activities related to farm produce and operates for the collective benefit of its member producers.

Provisions of the Indian Constitution related to Cooperatives

• The Constitution (97 Amendment) Act, 2011 introduced a new Part IXB immediately following Part IXA (Municipals) dedicated to cooperatives operating in India.
• The term “cooperatives” was incorporated after “unions and associations” in Article 19(1)(c) under Part III of the Constitution, conferring upon citizens the fundamental right to form cooperatives.
• A new Article 43B was added to the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV), focusing on the “promotion of cooperative societies.”

Way Forward

• NCDC should develop evaluation techniques to assess the performance of cooperatives, fostering an environment conducive to improved performance.
• The scheme is poised to enhance government-academia-industry-civil society linkages.
• India should draw lessons from technical and vocational training/education models implemented in countries like China, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Singapore. Adopting a comprehensive model would bridge skill gaps and ensure the employability of the youth.

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