Cooperatives play crucial role in strengthening rural economy: AP Governor
- AP Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan participated as Chief Guest at the Convocation of Vaikunth Mehta National Institute for Cooperative Management through video conference from Raj Bhavan
VAMNICOM, named after Vaikunth Mehta who served as the Minister of Finance and Cooperation in the then Bombay State and was the first Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission, offers two-year full time residential Agri-Business Management programme at the post graduation level.
The Institute has been contributing to the development of agriculture and rural sectors and progress of Indian cooperatives catering to their needs through various short-term and long-term programmes on management training, education, research and offering consultancy services to Government, cooperatives, corporate entities etc.
Governor Harichandan said Cooperative Movement, which is the world’s largest Cooperative movement, acts as an enabler to unify local human resources and channelize energies for the growth of rural India and with more than 8 lakh cooperatives, they have a significant presence in all the areas of socio-economic activities.
The Governor said dairy cooperatives have ushered in milk revolution in the country making AMUL a household name and institutions like IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and AMUL have become big success stories in the cooperative sector besides a large number urban cooperative banks, primary agriculture cooperative societies, housing, fishery etc. at State-level which are contributing to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in the rural areas.
The Governor also said that the Institute has been providing active support and guidance to 14 state-level Institutes of Cooperative Management (ICMs) and five Regional Institutes of Co-operative Management (RICMs) through Faculty Development Programmes and training on Agricultural Banking.
The role of VAMNICOM assumes greater significance in the context of sweeping reforms brought about through the new Farm Act 2020, in agricultural sector, said the Governor.
Agri-business is an important sector and there is a need for large pool of skilled manpower at managerial, supervisory and worker level to give a boost to this sector and institutions like the VAMNICOM must become facilitators, Governor Harichandan said in his Convocation address and complimented the Institute for its pioneering role in the area of Agri-Business Management by offering a two-year fully residential Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) - Agri-Business Management (ABM) leading to the award of a degree equivalent to MBA.
Governor Harichandan presented medals to top three rank holders in the PG Diploma in Management – Agri-business Management programme.
Dr. K.K. Tripathy, Director, VAMNICOM, Dr. D. Ravi, Joint Programme Director, Mukesh Kumar Meena, Secretary to Governor and officers of Raj Bhavan have also attended the Convocation programme.