National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is an important national organisation involved in the agricultural and cooperative sector in India. National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962  provides for the establishment of the National Cooperative Development Corporation. 

In this article, you can read more about NCDC for the IAS and other government exams.

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National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC):- Download PDF Here

About National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is a statutory corporation established by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1963.

• It functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• It is the apex financing organisation of the ministry.
• This corporation was established for economic development through cooperative societies.
• Its chief objectives are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, livestock, etc. on cooperative principles.
• Headquartered in New Delhi, the NCDC has 18 state/regional directorates.
• It is headed by a Managing Director.
• The Corporation would carry on its functions through the General Council and the Board.

Objectives of NCDC

• The major objective of the Corporation is to promote, strengthen and develop the farmers’ cooperatives for increasing production and productivity and instituting post-harvest facilities.
• The Corporation’s focus is on programmes of agricultural marketing and inputs, processing, storage, cold chain and marketing of agriculture produce and supply seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs etc.
• In the non-farm sector, the Corporation’s endeavour is to equip cooperatives with facilities to promote income-generating activities, with a special focus on weaker sections such as dairy, livestock, handlooms, sericulture, poultry, fishery, scheduled caste & scheduled tribes, women cooperatives etc.

Major Developments/Initiatives of NCDC

• SAHAKAR-22 – Sahakar-22 a mission mode activity of NCDC, launched by Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare to achieve the Mission of New India by 2022 through Cooperatives for doubling the farmers’ income. The programme aims at the overall development of the districts by way of identification of viable sectors for funding, both in farm and non-farm sectors.
• YUVA SAHAKAR – The scheme aims at providing financial assistance to enable Start-Ups in the Cooperative sector covering all types of activities and encourage newly formed cooperative societies with new and/or innovative ideas.

The NCDC conducts many schemes and programmes. Click the links in the table below for details about the recent schemes.

The below image shows the domains in which the NCDC conducts programs and schemes:

NCDC Functions

• It engages in programmes for agricultural products, and certain notified commodities such as insecticides, fertilisers, lac, agricultural machinery, soap, textile, rubber, kerosene oil, etc.
• It also collects, processes, stores, markets, and exports minor forest produce through cooperatives.
• NCDC also engages in income-generating activities in the field of dairy, poultry, sericulture, fisheries and handloom.
• After an amendment to the NCDC Act, the organisation can now finance rural projects in rural industrial cooperative sectors, and other services in rural areas such as water conservation, agricultural insurance, irrigation and micro-irrigation, animal health, rural sanitation and so on.
• It directly funds projects under its several schemes of assistance.
• It also advances loans & grants to state governments for financing primary and secondary level cooperative societies, and to direct to the national level and other societies for programmes spanning more than one state.

Scope of NCDC

• NCDC’s schemes/activities are designed to enhance income and improve the livelihood of farmers and economically weaker sections of the society like artisans, weavers, the poor rural populations including tribals.
• Cooperatives organised exclusively by women are assisted under the Scheme introduced for the purpose.
• Apart from activity-based assistance, NCDC also promotes area-based projects like Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) in selected districts.
• ICDP is a project which works for the overall development of the people of a district by unleashing the potential of the district through the development of various cooperative activities.

National Co-operative Development Fund

The Corporation shall maintain a fund called the National Co-operative Development Fund. The money in the Fund shall be applied for:

• Advancing loans and granting subsidies to State Governments on such terms and conditions as the Corporation may deem fit for the purpose of enabling State Governments to subscribe to the share capital of co-operative societies or for otherwise financing co-operative societies;
• Meeting the pay and allowances of the managing director, the officers and other employees of the Corporation and other administrative expenses of the Corporation; and
• Carrying out the purposes of this Act.

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