L to R Bust of Shri. Vaikunth Bhai Metha; Director Dr. K.K. Tripathy addressing the gathering

The Vaikunth Bhai Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) celebrated its 54th Foundation Day on January 15, 2020!  The dignitaries invited were Shri. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries;  Dr. T.N. Prakash Kammardi, Professor (retired), University of Agriculture Sciences, Bengaluru; and Mr. Balsubramanian Iyer, Regional Director ICA-AP.

Dr. K.K. Tripathy, Director VAMNICOM and Center for International Cooperation and Training in Agricultural Banking (CICTAB), in his opening address touched upon the achievements of the Institute in developing new curriculum (cyber security, gender budgeting), bringing out research papers, ensuring successful campus placement and developing infrastructure to lay the foundation for growth. Shri. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, in his video message, highlighted the importance of cooperative education and the vital role played by VAMNICOM. Prof. Kammardi in his keynote address on, “Doubling Farmers Income through Cooperatives to help India Attain $5 Trillion Economy,” touched on price pressure faced by farmers and their inability to be price makers. He cooperation is an ideal solution as it enhances collective bargaining power, provides economy of scale, and creation of utilities in time, space and form. Some of the measures he suggested were: farm equipment aggregation and distribution,  precise forecasting and supply projection, precision farming, and  online cooperative platform to market agriculture and horticultural commodities.

Mr. Iyer in his address said that commitment to education has been one of the cooperative movement’s core Principles since they were first formulated. Early cooperators lived in societies where education was reserved for the privileged. They recognized then that education was fundamental to transforming lives.  This philosophy can be seen in the thinking of Shri Vaikunth bhai Mehta who realized the importance of cooperative education and training for the successful functioning of the cooperative movement in the right direction. As Minister, he got the Cooperative Societies Act amended to make it statutory obligation for all cooperatives making profit to contribute to the education fund of the institute to manage the cooperative training colleges and schools established in the districts. When cooperatives fail, it is mainly as a consequence of members not knowing their responsibility, directors not fulfilling their fiduciary duties, and staff not being trained adequately. This inability of members of societies to manage the affairs of their own societies is owing to lack of education in cooperation and training in business. The remedy lies not in tightening the reins of control but in providing more and more of education for the general body of members and for office-bearers, and in fostering habits of self-government and mutual control. He called on VAMNICOM,  with its proud privilege of association of Vainkuthbhai’s name to continue to translate into action Vikuthbhai’s vision and aspirations regarding cooperative education and training. This required education which is forward looking; culture which is entrepreneurial; and developing students with a sense of empathy for the people.