Quick answer: The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is a statutory corporation under the Ministry of Cooperation that finances cooperative societies. It was set up in 1963 under an Act of Parliament. Its 93rd General Council meeting took place in New Delhi on 29 October 2026, chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. He asked NCDC to draw up a 25-year roadmap.
Why NCDC is in the news
The Ministry of Cooperation says the General Council, NCDC’s top policy body, met at the Corporation’s headquarters in New Delhi on 29 October 2026. The meeting reviewed the audited accounts and annual report for 2025–26 and discussed future funding plans. Amit Shah called the last five years a “golden era” for NCDC. He also warned against complacency and directed the Corporation to prepare a roadmap for the next 25 years, covering its structure, its fund-raising and its financial autonomy.
He set the North-East a goal of self-reliance in milk, eggs, fish and meat by 2030, and asked NCDC to co-finance projects with NABARD and banks.
Key facts from the 93rd General Council meeting
- Cumulative disbursement: ₹4,14,586 crore between the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation and 25 October 2026.
- FY 2025–26: ₹1,55,408 crore sanctioned and ₹1,27,596 crore disbursed. Annual disbursement was ₹24,733 crore in 2020–21, so this is roughly a fivefold rise.
- Financial health: net profit of ₹1,475 crore, a loan recovery rate of 99.84 per cent and zero net NPA.
- Reach: 3,339 projects sanctioned in 2025–26 benefited 14,881 cooperative societies. NCDC now has a presence in every State and Union Territory, including Ladakh.
- New law: the NCDC (Amendment) Act, 2026 was notified in the Gazette on 14 August 2026. It lets NCDC support cooperatives through equity and share capital.
- Targets: disbursements of ₹1.70 lakh crore in 2026–27, rising to ₹2.50 lakh crore in 2028–29. The minister pushed for about ₹4 lakh crore by 2030–31.
NCDC at a glance: statutory basis and structure
NCDC was established in 1963 by an Act of Parliament as a statutory corporation. It now sits under the Ministry of Cooperation, which the Centre created on 6 July 2021 by taking cooperation out of the agriculture ministry. NCDC plans, promotes and finances cooperatives in farm produce, dairy, fisheries, handloom and other sectors, either through State Governments or directly. A 51-member General Council makes policy. A 12-member Board of Management runs day-to-day affairs, and the Managing Director is the chief executive.
Selected NCDC schemes
| Scheme | Focus |
|---|---|
| Yuva Sahakar | Start-up support for newly formed cooperatives with innovative ideas, to draw young people into cooperatives |
| Swayam Shakti Sahakar | Affordable credit for the poor, including women’s self-help groups, through cooperatives |
| Nandini Sahakar | Finance and support for women-run cooperatives |
| Ayushman Sahakar | Cooperative hospitals, healthcare, medical and nursing education, health insurance and AYUSH |
| Sahakar Mitra | Internship programme for young professionals in cooperatives (launched June 2020) |
| Sahakar Navachar Yojana | 100 per cent grant of up to ₹25 lakh for innovation. 20 per cent of the ₹10 crore corpus is reserved for the North-East, hill areas and disadvantaged groups |
Cooperatives in the Constitution
- The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011 added “cooperative societies” to Article 19(1)(c), making the right to form them a fundamental right.
- It inserted Article 43B, a Directive Principle, under which the State must promote voluntary formation, autonomous working, democratic control and professional management of cooperatives.
- It added Part IXB (Articles 243ZH to 243ZT) on how cooperative societies are to be run.
- On 20 July 2021, in Union of India v. Rajendra N. Shah, the Supreme Court struck down Part IXB as it applied to cooperatives within a single State, because half the States had not ratified it. The provisions on multi-State cooperatives survived. Articles 19(1)(c) and 43B were not affected.
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- Polity questions often ask which Article or Part deals with cooperatives (19(1)(c), 43B, Part IXB) and which amendment added them (the 97th).
- Questions on the parent ministry are likely. NCDC now falls under the Ministry of Cooperation, not Agriculture.
- Economy GK can link NCDC to NABARD, Amul, IFFCO and the “Sahkar se Samriddhi” slogan.
Practice MCQs
Q1. The National Cooperative Development Corporation currently works under which ministry?
(a) Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (b) Cooperation (c) Finance (d) Rural Development
Answer: (b) — NCDC sits under the Ministry of Cooperation, created in July 2021.
Q2. Article 43B, on the promotion of cooperative societies, is part of:
(a) Fundamental Rights (b) Directive Principles of State Policy (c) Part IXA (d) Fundamental Duties
Answer: (b) — the 97th Amendment added Article 43B to Part IV.
Q3. In which year was the Union Ministry of Cooperation created?
(a) 2014 (b) 2019 (c) 2021 (d) 2023
Answer: (c) — on 6 July 2021.
Q4. Who chaired the 93rd General Council meeting of NCDC in October 2026?
(a) The Prime Minister (b) The Union Minister of Cooperation (c) The RBI Governor (d) The NABARD Chairman
Answer: (b) — Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation.
Frequently asked questions
What is NCDC?
The National Cooperative Development Corporation is a statutory corporation set up in 1963 by an Act of Parliament. It plans, promotes and finances cooperative societies, and it now works under the Ministry of Cooperation.
What happened at NCDC’s 93rd General Council meeting?
The meeting was held on 29 October 2026 and chaired by Amit Shah. It reviewed the accounts for 2025–26, which showed ₹1,27,596 crore disbursed and zero net NPA. The minister directed NCDC to prepare a 25-year roadmap.
What is the NCDC (Amendment) Act, 2026?
It is a law notified on 14 August 2026 that widens NCDC’s powers. NCDC can now back cooperatives through equity and share capital, not just through loans and grants.
Which constitutional amendment deals with cooperatives?
The 97th Amendment Act, 2011. It added cooperatives to Article 19(1)(c), inserted Article 43B and created Part IXB.
Also read on NCA: Monthly defence current affairs PDFs | NDA coaching in Chandigarh | CAPF coaching in Chandigarh
Sources: PIB, Ministry of Cooperation (29 Oct 2026), NCDC: Genesis and Functions, PIB, Ministry of Cooperation, Supreme Court judgment (20 Jul 2021). Facts as reported up to 31 October 2026.
Featured image background: Photo: ILRI/Stevie Mann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
