Kathmandu, Oct. 7
The National Cooperative
Board (NCB) has prepared a 25-year Strategic Plan (2020/21 – 2045/46) for the sector
with the aim of including 90 per cent households in cooperatives in either way.
The plan, submitted to the
Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari
Aryal on Wednesday, includes projections to increase per cooperative members to
933 in the next 20 years from the current 175. Likewise, the total members of
cooperatives would reach 14 million from current 6.6 million, as per the number
of accounts maintained.
The strategy will have
five key pillars for development, including entrepreneurship development and
employment, inter-cooperative as well coop-non-government, private sector and
community partnership and network, awareness building, and good cooperatives
practice, good governance and regulation.
The strategy aims at
increasing the contribution of the cooperative sectors to the economy from
current about 3 per cent to 15 per cent in the next 25 years. The projection
was made after considering the contribution of cooperatives to the world
economy, the 15th plan of Nepal, Long-Term Vision and suggestions
from the stakeholders.
Likewise, it aims at
increasing participation of economically active population as well. Currently,
participation of above people aged over
15years in cooperatives is 31 per cent and the strategy aims to take it to 75
per cent.
Another important strategy
is to reduce the number of cooperatives to about 15,000 which is less than the
half of the existing number.
Accepting the draft of the
strategy, Minister Aryal said that the strategic document was prepared for the
expansion of cooperative movement, its development and strengthening. "It
is prepared after thorough study and analysis of international practice and
national situation. It gives us a clear vision for the development of the
sector," she said.
The constitution of Nepal
mentions the cooperative as a pillar of the national economy along with the
government and private sector.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 October 2020.
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