Polity & GovernanceImportant2025-04-06

Tribhuvan Sahkari University Act, 2025 Commences

In News

What Happened

In April 2025, the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Act came into effect, transforming the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in Gujarat into India's first national-level cooperative university. Named after Amul's founding chairman Tribhuvandas Patel, the new university is officially declared an Institution of National Importance. It will serve as an apex body for cooperative education, training, and research.

Why It Matters

The creation of this university is a major institutional step toward realizing the government's 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' (Prosperity through Cooperation) vision. By training millions of cooperative personnel and offering specialized courses in cooperative law, finance, and management, it aims to professionalize India's vast network of over 8 lakh cooperative societies.

Background

History & Context

The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) was founded in 1979 by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the architect of India's White Revolution, to professionalize the management of rural producers' organizations. As the Ministry of Cooperation pushed to modernize Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and other cooperatives, a massive training deficit was identified. The Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025 was introduced and passed to create a statutory framework capable of scaling cooperative capacity building nationwide.

What Changed

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Legal Status of IRMA: BEFORE, IRMA was an independent educational entity registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. NOW, the society is dissolved, and IRMA operates as a 'Centre of Excellence' and a constituent school within the new university framework.
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Institutional Recognition: BEFORE, IRMA was a premier standalone business school. NOW, the Tribhuvan Sahkari University holds the statutory status of an 'Institution of National Importance' established by an Act of Parliament.
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Scope of Curriculum and Scale: BEFORE, IRMA primarily focused on postgraduate diplomas and fellowships in rural management. NOW, the university expands its scope to offer diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs specifically in cooperative finance, law, marketing, and accounting, aiming to train 20 lakh personnel over five years.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This development is closely related to the concepts taught in Class 11 Political Science (Indian Constitution at Work). The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2011 added Article 43B to the Directive Principles of State Policy, which directs the State to promote the 'voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control, and professional management of cooperative societies'. The establishment of this university is a direct policy implementation of the 'professional management' directive.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Tribhuvan Sahkari University and the cooperative sector in India? 1. The Tribhuvan Sahkari University Act, 2025 establishes India's first national cooperative university by upgrading the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). 2. Under the Indian Constitution, promoting the professional management of cooperative societies is a Fundamental Duty.

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