The Rajya Sabha passed the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by voice vote on Wednesday, a day after the Lok Sabha approved it.
Opposition parties staged a walkout before the House took up the Bill for voting.
Political Context
The proposed amendment only expands the mandate and financial scope of NCDC”.
“It is proposed to enable the corporation to provide loans and grants directly to the cooperative societies or any entity engaged in cooperative development to the extent such funds are used for cooperative societies, subject to furnishing security as may be required by the corporation,” the statement of objects and reasons of the bill said. The changes come because the government believes that the cooperative sector has “expanded and diversified considerably” over the years. Statutory bodies, state government agencies and other specialised organisations now provide infrastructure, technology, processing, marketing and financial services to cooperatives, according to the statement of objects and reasons accompanying the bill. As many of these organisations are not themselves registered as cooperative societies, NCDC cannot finance them directly under the existing law, resulting in “procedural delays and limited uptake” as proposals have to be routed through state governments or cooperative societies. Replying to the debate on the bill, minister of state for cooperation Murlidhar Mohol said, “This bill does not have any provision for additional budgetary financial assistance by the government.
