Amit Shah Inaugurates EARTH Summit 2025 in Gandhinagar
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the EARTH Summit 2025 on 5 December in Gandhinagar, marking a major step toward transforming India’s cooperative and rural banking landscape. The summit, in its second edition, showcased the government’s drive to strengthen cooperative institutions through digital infrastructure, governance reforms, and new income-generating models for rural communities.
Sahakar Sarathi: A Unified Digital Platform for Cooperatives
A key highlight of the event was the launch of Sahakar Sarathi , a joint initiative of NABARD and the Ministry of Cooperation. Designed to modernise rural cooperative banks, the platform enables PACS, DCCBs and State Cooperative Banks to access commercial-bank level digital services under a shared technology framework.
The suite of more than 13 digital offerings includes:
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Internet and mobile banking, UPI and AEPS services
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Digitised Kisan Credit Cards (Digi-KCC)
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Loan origination and e-KYC systems
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ePACS for end-to-end PACS automation
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Cooperative Governance Index to benchmark institutional performance
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Grain Storage Management Application , claimed as the world’s largest cooperative storage platform
These tools aim to bring transparency, scalability and digital parity to cooperative banking operations.
New Cooperative Initiatives: Sahakar Taxi and Insurance Scheme
Amit Shah also launched two major cooperative-driven initiatives:
Sahakar Taxi
A cooperative taxi network, currently in pilot phase, with 51,000+ driver registrations , aiming to become India’s largest community-owned mobility platform.
Cooperative Insurance Programme
A comprehensive insurance model covering health, life, agriculture and accidental risks , with plans to appoint three trained insurance ambassadors per village to boost rural financial protection.
Exam-Oriented Facts
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Event: EARTH Summit 2025 (2nd edition)
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Venue: Gandhinagar, Gujarat — 5 December 2025
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Initiative: Sahakar Sarathi, launched by NABARD & Ministry of Cooperation
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Services Introduced: 13+ digital cooperative banking tools
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New Schemes: Sahakar Taxi & Cooperative Insurance
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Target Outreach: Over 50 crore cooperative members across India
Month: Current Affairs - December 06, 2025
Category: EARTH Summit 2025