There is no alternative to building a cooperative society to ensure sustainable development

President Md. Sahabuddin said there is no alternative to building a cooperative society to ensure sustainable development.

He said this in a message given on the occasion of 'National Cooperative Day-2024' on Saturday (November 2).

Md. Sahabuddin said, economic development is the main means of poverty alleviation, and the best means of economic development is 'cooperative'. Cooperatives play a role in achieving self-reliance and socio-economic development through collective and united efforts in a democratic manner.

He said that cooperatives are known as effective methods in all areas of economy including agriculture, fisheries, dairy, transport, housing, industry, insurance, marketing.

The President said that cooperatives can contribute effectively to poverty alleviation through capital formation, investment, meeting nutritional needs, empowering women, expanding housing facilities, providing income-generating training, increasing rural employment, improving the quality of life of disadvantaged women, third gender and minority groups.

Md. Sahabuddin said that a cooperative is a collective effort formed and managed on the basis of justice and devotion through the spontaneous participation of people. Practicing brotherhood, collective efforts and values ​​in cooperative institutions can play a role in establishing a society without discrimination.

In this context, he thinks that this year's theme of the National Cooperative Day, 'Cooperatively build the country, non-discrimination Bangladesh' has been accurate and timely.

The President said that the government has adopted multifaceted development and reform plans to build a new Bangladesh free from hunger, poverty and corruption and without discrimination.

Calling upon the co-operatives to participate in this new journey of building the country by accelerating the co-operative movement, he said that it is very important to make the co-operative movement sustainable, including investment in agriculture and other productive sectors, and to ensure that the products are marketed and get a fair price for the products. Besides, transparency and accountability must be ensured in every aspect of cooperative activities to build a people-oriented organization.

He also said that the ideal of cooperatives will eliminate all kinds of discrimination and take the country forward on the path of prosperity – this is everyone's hope.

ea