Amit Shah announces new cooperative life insurance firm, Bharat Taxi expansion to 500 cities
Union Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that a cooperative life insurance company will be established to expand the business areas of cooperatives and also said the services of Bharat Taxi would be increased to 500 cities in the next two years. At an event in the national capital to mark the fifth Foundation Day of the Ministry of Cooperation, he stressed eradicating corruption in the appointments of professionals to enhance credibility in Indias cooperative ecosystem. Shah, the Cooperation Minister, said the establishment of the ministry has given a new lifeline to Indias cooperative movement, which was a neglected movement during the Congress regime. India has around 8.5 lakh cooperatives with more than 30 crore members. Shah highlighted that the ministry has taken many policy initiatives to make the cooperative system modern, transparent, technology-enabled, and competitive. The minister said that ride-hailing platform Bharat Taxi, which was launched under the cooperative model, has been doing well and would be expanded into 500 cities in the next two years. On similar lines to Bharat Taxi, Shah said: We will be setting up a life insurance company in the cooperative sector. This will help in the growth of cooperatives in the insurance sector. He mentioned that IFFCO-TOKIO, a joint venture of fertiliser cooperative IFFCO, is already in the insurance business. In India, there are 26 life insurance companies. Bharat Taxi is an initiative of Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, a driver-centric mobility platform based on the cooperative model. At present, Bharat Taxi has 6.37 lakh registered drivers and 35.77 lakh registered customers. The service is operational in Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Kanpur and will soon be launched in Ranchi, Patna, Guwahati, Bhopal, Kolkata, Indore, and Nagpur in the next few months, according to an official statement. Addressing the event, Shah said a national cooperative was formed especially for seed production and expressed confidence that it will emerge as the countrys largest non-governmental seed production organisation in three years. The minister noted that the cooperative organisations have entered into many new sectors, expanding beyond dairy, sugar, fertiliser and banking businesses. Nearly 20 per cent of agricultural credit, 35 per cent of fertiliser distribution, and 31 per cent of sugar production are being carried out through cooperatives, he said. Shah mentioned that model bye-laws, which enable PACS (primary agricultural credit societies) to undertake 25-plus business activities, have now been adopted by all states, including West Bengal. According to the statement, these PACS now function beyond credit, covering retail, storage, healthcare, fuel, and digital services. As many as 394 PACS have applied for retail fuel outlets, and 3 outlets have been commissioned. More than 54,000 PACS are functioning as Common Service Centres while 4,248 PACS are approved for Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Listing out the initiatives, Shah said the ministry has identified the problems as well as opportunities in this sector. A database of the cooperative sector has been created which will help in identifying the gaps and enable expansion of cooperatives. Shah mentioned that Tribhuvan Sahkari University is being established at Anand in Gujarat, which will address the human resource problem. He said trained professionals in banking, dairy, marketing, agriculture, fertilizers, and other areas of cooperation will be prepared from this university. These professionals will be appointed based on merit. Our goal is to implement professional management in a phased manner from primary cooperative societies to top institutions. This will increase transparency in appointments, improve work efficiency, and also put an effective check on corruption related to appointments, Shah said. By eliminating corruption in appointments, the cooperative sector can win peoples trust, he said. The minister expressed confidence that the cooperative sector would play a key role in making Viksit Bharat by 2047. Shah emphasised the promotion of organic farming and reducing theuse of chemical fertilisers. We are bringing 100 per cent circular economy in the sugar and dairy sectors. Through this, manure that can serve as an alternative to DAP will be produced. This indigenous manure will be cheaper than DAP and better in quality, and will provide greater benefit to fields, he said. Shah appealed to the farmers to give up DAP (DI-ammonium phosphate) and accept and adopt this new manure in the coming days. Elaborating more, the minister said 50 important amendments have been made to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, making the entire cooperative system more transparent and democratic. A total of nine national-level cooperative societies have been formed, including three new ones.
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Srinagar, Jul 5:The Mental Health Conclave 2026 was held by the Department of Psychiatry with support of Department of Community Medicine, SKIMS Deemed University & Medical College, Srinagar, under the aegis of the Indian Psychiatric Society. As per a press release, the two-day academic programme was inaugurated by Prof Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Director SKIMS & Ex-Officio Secretary to Govt as chief guest, Prof T S S Rao, President Indian Psychiatry was the guest of honour. Other guests Dean medical faculty Prof Bashir Fomda as Guest of Honour. Prof Ganai said that mental illnesses are like other physical illnesses and need to be treated like other disorders. He appreciated the efforts of the department of psychiatry for organising such events and assured continuous administrative support in future for conducting such programmes. The formal inaugural ceremony at SKICC marked the observance of IPS Foundation Day and declaration of World Psychiatry Day, and was graced by distinguished dignitaries on dice like Prof Bashir A Fomda dean SKIMS Medical Faculty, Prof Aijaz A Rather;Associate Dean, Dr. Naresh Vadlamani;Hony Treasurer IPS, Prof Rajshree Ray;chairperson IPS Foundation Day, Prof Mohammad Salim Khan;President JK Medical Council, Dr Vijay Herbishetter;Chairman Thesis subcommittee, past presidents of IPS, senior academicians, and leaders of psychiatry from across the country. The guests were welcomed the Prof Abdul Maajid, HOD Psychiatry SKIMS Medical College as organising chairman said that Medisynapse: The mental health conclave that its has become a historic moment for SKIMS Deemed university and Medical College Srinagar to hold first of its kind Thesis ideas bank creation for young psychiatrists and postgraduate students under the aegis of IPS followed by workshop on ethics and professional relationship at work place. Leaders conclave was held of five past presidents of IPS who shared their experiences and future directions and vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Nizam ud Din organising secretary of the event. On the occasion Prof T S S Rao, president of Indian Psychiatry Society made a landmark initiative aimed at transforming psychiatric research in India- an intensive. World psychiatry Day was launched first time in the 75 years of history of Indian Psychiatry that too from SKIMS Srinagar by President Indian Psychiatric Society Prof T S S Rao. Thesis Sub-Committee Scientific Workshop, bringing together eminent academicians and subject experts from across India representing diverse subspecialties, including Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry with experts from prestigious institutions like NMHANS Bangaluru, AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh spam across India. The workshop focused on developing standardized research templates, generating novel research ideas, and formulating model thesis protocols that will ultimately contribute to the creation of a robust IPS Thesis Banka resource envisioned to establish a structured national repository of high-quality research ideas and model thesis protocols, fostering collaborative, innovative, and clinically relevant academic research among postgraduate trainees across the country. The scientific proceedings also featured an engaging workshop on Ethics and Professional Relationships, highlighting the indispensable role of professionalism, ethical integrity, and compassionate clinical practice in modern psychiatry. The day concluded with a Leadership Conclave, where senior leaders of the Indian Psychiatric Society deliberated upon strategic priorities for the future growth of the profession, mentorship of young psychiatrists, and strengthening psychiatric services across the nation. On 4th July 2026, the conclave began with a Walkathon along the picturesque banks of Dal Lake, symbolising the support to Nasha Mukt Bharat (Jammu & Kashmir) Abhiyaan by SKIMS Medical College in collaboration with Indian Psychiatric Society. Medi-Synapse 2026 successfully has brought together clinicians, researchers, academicians, policymakers, and mental health professionals on a common platform dedicated to advancing psychiatric education, research, leadership, and advocacy. The Indian Psychiatric Society has always reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to promoting academic innovation, evidence-based practice, ethical leadership, and collaborative partnerships that will shape the future of mental healthcare in India. Prof T S S Rao, President Indian Psychiatry society was the special guest for all the 3 sessions conducted on July 3rd 2026, with Prof Mushtaq A Margoob, welcomed all the invited guests and the past presidents of eminence Prof Ajit Avasthi, Prof Savita Malohotra, Dr Laxmikant Rathi, Prof P K Dalal among others graced the occasion with their presence. Prof Rajshree Ray, Dr Ranjan Bhattacharya, Dr Abdul Majid, Dr Tanmaini Das, Dr Niska Sinha facilitated the session. The Session was chaired by Prof T S S rao and Dr Naresh Vadlamani (Hony Treasurer IPS). This was followed by panel discussion on students mental health moderated by prof Abdul Majid. The panel included Khrusheed Ahmed Gania, IAS, former adviser to Honorable Governor, Mr Imtiyaz Hussain DIG J&K Police,IPS, Prof Atul Ambekar NDDTC AIIMS, Syed Shabir Ahmed, joint Director School Education, RJ Rayees Mohuddin Actor, creator, and Dr Mudasir AP clinical psychologist GMC Baramulla. The panellist highlighted changes in the challenges in mental health faced by the students over period of time and the solution to tackle such challenges. The special emphasis was laid on tackling the substance abuse. One of the panellist namely Prof Om Prakash prof IBHAS New Delhi joined online opened the symposium.
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