Parliament has passed the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025, that seeks to set up the country’s first Cooperative University at Anand, Gujarat. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 1st April 2025, while the Lok Sabha passed the bill on 26 March 2025. After the assent of the President, it will become an Act and it will come into force from the date the central government notifies in the Gazette.
Features of the Tribhuvan Sahakari University Bill
The Tribhuvan Sahakari University will be a Central University.
The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) will be renamed as Tribhuvan Sahakari University.
IRMA, which was set up as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, will be dissolved when the bill is notified.
IRMA will be converted into one of the schools of the University and will have an autonomous status within the University.
IRMA will be declared as the “Centre of Excellence” for Rural Management.
Objective of the Tribhuvan Sahakari University
The following are the objectives of the University.
- Provide qualified and skilled manpower to meet the needs of the co-operative sector;
- to provide training, education, and capacity building to the employees and
- board members of co-operative societies at all levels;
- Apex body to standardise the academic and research activities of affiliated cooperative institutes and training centres;
- to develop centres of excellence in co-operative education, training, research and consultancy;
- to evolve as an institution of national and international repute for advanced
About the IRMA
- IRMA was set up as a Society in 1979 at Anand, Gujarat.
- IRMA was set up under the leadership of the father of the White Revolution in India, Dr Verghese Kurien, with the support of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Government of India, Gujarat Government, Indian Dairy Corporation, and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.
- It was set up to provide skilled manpower to helm the Operation Flood launched in 1970 by the government to make India self-sufficient in milk production.
About Tribhuvandas Patel
Tribhuvandas Patel was born in Anand village of Kheda district of Gujarat in 1903.
He was a follower of Gandhiji and participated in the freedom struggle.
He successfully led farmers against the unfair trade practices of the Polson and Polson Dairy.
On the direction of Sardar Patel, he established Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited on 14th December 1946, which is today known as “Amul”.
He, with the assistance of Dr Verghese Kurien, made the dairy cooperative movement world famous.
Awards
Padma Bhushan in 1964.
Ramon Magsaysay in 1963.
