As India moves toward the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, the need for an indigenous, people-centric economic framework has never been greater. Cooperative Economic Zones (CEZs) offer a transformative alternative for farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs
For far too long, India’s economic trajectory has been influenced by external forces that prioritise profit over people. Financial networks, particularly the Soros-backed ecosystem, have sought to shape policy decisions in developing nations, undermining self-reliance and promoting economic models that serve foreign interests. These networks, supported by sovereign guarantee funds from various countries opposed to the vision of Viksit Bharat, have actively worked to fragment India’s cooperative economy, ensuring that wealth remains concentrated in the hands of a select few.
In contrast, Cooperative Economic Zones (CEZs) present a homegrown, cooperative-driven economic model that prioritises Indian farmers, artisans, and small-scale entrepreneurs. By fostering local production, cooperative ownership and sustainable industrial growth, CEZs can insulate India’s economy from undue foreign influence while ensuring equitable wealth distribution. This initiative aligns with the vision of Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee, India’s first Union Industry Minister, who championed self-reliant industrialisation and cooperative enterprise development as the foundation for national economic progress. Realising his vision through CEZs will not only empower rural communities but also strengthen India’s economic sovereignty.
India’s future must not be dictated by external agendas. The time has come to reclaim economic independence and return wealth to the hands of those who have long been marginalised. CEZs provide the answer to economic subversion, offering a framework built on local production, cooperative ownership, and sustainable industrial growth.
Establishing these zones is not just an economic necessity but a strategic response to external forces that threaten India’s self-reliance.
The soon-to-be-established Tribhuvan Sahkari University can play a transformative role in developing cutting-edge human resources for CEZs and commodity exchanges. By introducing specialised programs in Cooperative Economics, Cooperative Commodity Trading, Agri-Tech and Blockchain for Traceability, the university will integrate AI-driven forecasting and digital finance into its curriculum. Additionally, leveraging cross-border trade frameworks like India’s e-NAM and SAARC-ASEAN cooperation, the university will cultivate a skilled workforce to strengthen cooperative governance, commodity exchanges, and sustainable economic growth.
CEZs will be a key driver in realising Viksit Bharat, the vision of a developed India by 2047. By fostering inclusive growth, decentralising industrialisation and ensuring equitable economic participation, CEZs will help bridge the urban-rural divide and reduce regional inequalities. These zones will empower millions of small-scale producers, artisans and rural entrepreneurs, ensuring that economic development reaches the grassroots level.
A robust cooperative-driven industrial and agricultural ecosystem will fuel sustained economic expansion, helping India transition from a developing to a developed economy.
In the heartlands of India, where fields stretch endlessly and artisans weave centuries-old traditions into the fabric, there lies immense potential-untapped and waiting to be harnessed.
CEZs provide the blueprint for this transformation, integrating agriculture, technology, and financial services into a resilient, community-driven economic framework. A Cooperative Economic Zone is a designated area where cooperatives and producer organisations operate with special economic benefits such as tax incentives, subsidised infrastructure and streamlined governance.
These zones encourage collective ownership, ensuring wealth generation remains with local communities rather than being concentrated in corporate entities. The CEZ model can be broadly categorised into three key sectors: agriculture and agro-processing CEZs, with 100 zones across 15 agro-climatic regions, each housing at least 30-grain silos and commodity-specific cooperatives, technology hubs, with 30 zones in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to decentralise innovation and support cooperative-led tech enterprises, as data centres in Tier-1 cities are unsustainable and financial services CEZs, comprising 40-50 zones revolutionising the BFSI sector, countering the influence of the ‘Big 4’ consulting firms and the Open Society Foundation, which exploit sovereign guarantee funds to impose foreign financial dominance.
A key advantage of CEZs will be fortifying India’s indigenous financial ecosystem, particularly RuPay. By prioritising RuPay adoption within CEZs and integrating it into financial hubs like postal banks and post offices, India can reduce reliance on foreign payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard, which are often leveraged for geopolitical influence.
Additionally, CEZs can facilitate the development of a cooperative-based payment gateway, ensuring secure, low-cost digital transactions and preventing foreign financial surveillance. CEZs will also support a farmer-centric supply chain, leveraging postal banking networks to deliver financial services directly to rural communities. This initiative will not only boost financial inclusion but also shield India’s economy from external disruptions, reinforcing economic sovereignty and ensuring that financial power remains within the country.
The establishment of CEZs requires a structured and phased approach to ensure sustainability and efficiency.
Key steps include identifying potential zones by mapping regions with high agricultural productivity, strong industrial potential, or a concentration of cooperative enterprises, securing regulatory approvals through coordination with state and central Government bodies to establish necessary legal frameworks, infrastructure development, including building essential facilities such as warehouses, processing units, financial service hubs and technology incubators, integrating cooperative enterprises by strengthening 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), PACS and SHGs to form cooperative-led businesses, creating market linkages and export promotion to facilitate domestic and international trade partnerships, integrating financial services by providing cooperative banking, microfinance and digital payment systems to ensure smooth financial operations and implementing technology and skill development initiatives to train local entrepreneurs and workers in modern agricultural, industrial and digital practices to enhance productivity.
CEZs will also play a pivotal role in making India’s manufacturing sector a net-zero emitter by ensuring each zone is self-sustainable in energy.
These zones will be powered by renewable energy sources, including solar, wind and biomass, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of industrial and agricultural production.
Each CEZ will be tailored to regional strengths, focusing on agro-processing industries such as food processing, dairy, fisheries and organic farming, handloom and handicrafts sectors, supporting artisans in weaving, pottery and traditional crafts, technology and innovation-driven enterprises in fintech, agritech and AI-driven rural startups, financial inclusion initiatives that strengthen cooperative banking, microfinance and digital financial services and renewable energy hubs promoting solar, wind and biomass cooperatives to support sustainable development.
The implementation of CEZs has the potential to revolutionise India’s economic landscape by fostering self-reliance, sustainability and shared prosperity. By aligning CEZs with Viksit Bharat 2047, India will create a development model that is inclusive, self-sustaining and globally competitive.
CEZs are India’s answer to the Soros-backed economic agenda-a blueprint for true economic independence and a sustainable, net-zero future.
(The writer is member, PM Committee on MSP and Agricultural Reforms, Government of India. Views expressed are personal)
