Indian government plans to create a new Union ministry to oversee the development of the cooperative sector. As per Apparel Resources, the new ministry will help realize the vision of prosperity through cooperation. Besides, it will help streamline processes for ‘ease of doing businesses’ for cooperatives and develop multi-state cooperatives. Additionally, the Ministry will provide a separate administrative and legal framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in India.

A new study on Chendamangalam Handloom Cooperative Society in Ernakulam district of Kerala, shows, majority of workers employed in the society earned less than Rs 5,000. The income earned by these weavers is not sufficient to maintain their family or to meet their basic necessities. Also, the weavers or workers did not have any problem with training as they had several years of experience. The case study highlights the need to increase the wages of weavers. Most importantly, to meet their expenses and pay off their loans, the workers need to get the wages without any delay from government.

The study also recommends the government should properly implement existing schemes and ensure the weavers get all the benefits. Besides, the government needs to launch many more schemes that can help weavers financially. The government should also be pro-active in offering scholarships to the children of weavers for imparting good education. The new Ministry could be the catalyst to this development, says the study report.