Strength of the cooperative movement is by all standards of understandabilities the strength of the village economy in any state or union territory of the country and same holds good for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Involvement of women and youth in the development of villages through cooperative institutions is a new initiative taken by the Jammu & Kashmir Government obviously to boost the village economic through cooperative institutions and village panchayats. The proposal to increase the number of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies by providing much-needed support to small and marginal farmers in every Panchayat is obviously the most ideal way of boosting village economy. If carried forward with focus on involvement of small and marginal farmers also the initiative to increase primary agriculture societies won’t only generate jobs in the agriculture sector but it will also generate more interest in agriculture farming among youth and women in villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Since the stakeholders have been asked to increase primary agriculture societies through cooperative institutions only, the initiative won’t only boost agriculture activities in villages but it would also provide an ample opportunity to small and marginal farmers to develop infrastructure for agricultural activities in villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Irrefutable fact is that there is no better way to reach out to people in villages than the involvement of youth and women of villages in the primary agriculture societies in villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Notably the primary agriculture societies can’t be increased for conventional agricultural activities only but they can also increased for generating interests among small and marginal farmers in agri-marketing, food processing, dairy farming and other innovative agriculture activities in villages across Jammu & Kashmir.
While Panchayats are the symbols of grass root level democracy and civic governance in villages, the cooperatives induce the spirit of self-reliance and employment generation in agriculture and allied sectors for furtherance of the causes of rural economy. What matters the most is the fact that increasing primary agriculture societies through cooperative institutions is likely to generate interest in the expansion of cooperatives in villages which in turn would lead to rise in youth and women entrepreneurship across Jammu & Kashmir.
Through the initiative of increasing primary agriculture societies in villages the Panchayats and Cooperatives are likely to become two key players of village economy in coming years in Jammu & Kashmir. By all standards of understandabilities this new idea of taking panchayats and cooperative institutions together if carried forward would lay foundation for a stronger village economy in coming years in Jammu & Kashmir. While Panchayats are the symbols of grass root level democracy and civic governance in villages, the cooperatives induce the spirit of self-reliance and employment generation in agriculture and allied sectors for furtherance of the causes of rural economy. What matters the most is the fact that increasing primary agriculture societies through cooperative institutions is likely to generate interest in the expansion of cooperatives in villages which in turn would lead to rise in youth and women entrepreneurship across Jammu & Kashmir.
