Grant-in-Aid to the National Cooperative Development Corporation Scheme

 Grant-in-Aid to the National Cooperative Development Corporation Scheme : Recently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved a new Central Sector Scheme titled “Grant-in-Aid to the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)”.

• About Scheme : The scheme has an outlay of ₹2,000 crore spread over four years (2025–26 to 2028–29), with an annual allocation of ₹500 crore.

  o These funds will be used to offer loans to cooperative societies across various sectors for:

  ü Setting up new projects

  ü Expansion and modernization of existing units

  ü Meeting working capital needs

  o Target Beneficiaries: Expected to benefit approximately 2.9 crore members of 13,288 cooperative societies across India, particularly in sectors such as:

  ü Dairy, livestock, and fisheries

  ü Sugar and textile industries

  ü Food processing, storage, and cold storage

  ü Labour and women-led cooperatives

  • About NCDC : Founded in 1963 as a statutory corporation under an Act of Parliament 1963.

  o Operates under the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India.

  o Objectives: To plan, promote, and finance cooperative-based activities related to: Production, Processing, Marketing ,Storage, Export and import of agricultural produce, livestock, and other goods.