Bharat Taxi to expand to 500 cities in 2 years: Shah

Union Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced a cooperative life insurance company and said ‘Bharat Taxi’ services will expand to 500 cities within two years. Speaking at the 5th Foundation Day of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi, Shah said the ministry has revitalised the cooperative movement, which he described as neglected under previous Governments.

He also stressed the need to eliminate corruption in professional appointments to strengthen credibility in the cooperative sector.

India has around 8.5 lakh cooperatives with more than 30 crore members. Shah said the ministry has introduced several policy measures to modernise the cooperative system, making it more transparent, technology-driven, and competitive. He noted that ‘Bharat Taxi’, a ride-hailing platform under a cooperative model, will expand to 500 cities over the next two years.

Shah added that the cooperative sector will establish a life insurance company to support growth in the insurance industry. He noted that IFFCO-TOKIO, a joint venture involving fertiliser cooperative IFFCO, is already active in this sector.

In India, there are 26 life insurance companies.

Bharat Taxi, operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd, is a driver-focused mobility platform under the cooperative model. It has 6.37 lakh registered drivers and 35.77 lakh registered customers.

Bharat Taxi operates under Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd in Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Kanpur. It is scheduled to launch in Ranchi, Patna, Guwahati, Bhopal, Kolkata, Indore, and Nagpur in the coming months.

Shah noted that cooperatives have expanded into sectors beyond dairy, sugar, fertiliser, and banking.

Shah mentioned that model bye-laws allowing Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to undertake over 25 business activities have been adopted by all states.

These PACS now function beyond credit, covering retail, storage, healthcare, fuel, and digital services.

A total of 394 PACS have applied to operate retail fuel outlets, with 3 outlets already commissioned. Over 54,000 PACS are functioning as Common Service Centres, and 4,248 PACS have been approved for Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

Shah said that ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University is being set up in Anand, Gujarat, to address human resource needs in the cooperative sector.

He stated that the university will train professionals in banking, dairy, marketing, agriculture, fertilisers, and other cooperative fields. He added that appointments will be based on merit. Professional management will be implemented in phases, from primary cooperative societies to top institutions. This will increase transparency, improve work efficiency, and check corruption related to appointments.

Referring to the initial apprehension that the Union Ministry would interfere in the functioning of State Governments, since cooperation is a State subject, he said that even the Congress-ruled states have not complained about this in the last five years.

Shah said the Union Ministry is not meant to interfere in State subjects. He added that it was created to help states and for policy-making. He expressed confidence that the cooperative sector would play a key role in making ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

Shah said he is fully confident that when the country celebrates the centenary of independence in 2047, the strong foundation of Viksit Bharat will be the cooperative movement. He said the NDA and BJP Governments have always worked for all-around development for the benefit of the poor and rural population. He cited many new ministries created by the NDA Government.

During the event, Shah laid foundation stones and inaugurated several major projects and initiatives.

These included the transfer of 135 godowns with a total capacity of 75,000 tonnes, the inauguration of 85 godowns, and the laying of the foundation stone for 47 grain storage godowns.