Today is National Cooperative Day

Today is National Cooperative Day. National Cooperative Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of November every year. Accordingly, this year November 4 (Saturday) is the 52nd National Cooperative Day. This year’s theme of the day is ‘Cooperatively building the country, Bangladesh will be smart’.

The formal journey of cooperatives in Bangladesh started in 1904 i.e. one hundred and nineteen years ago. At present there are about 1 lakh 96 thousand cooperative societies in the country. All these co-operative societies are making important contribution to the overall socio-economic development along with development of their fortunes through capital formation, investment, employment, production, marketing etc. activities through shares and savings.

On the occasion of the day, President Md. Sahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages. In the speech, the President said that in the light of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu’s cooperative thinking, all kinds of discrimination should be removed and the country should be moved forward on the path of prosperity.

The President said that to make cooperative movement sustainable, it is very important to ensure that the products are marketed and get a fair price for the products along with investment in agriculture and other productive sectors. Also, cooperatives should be people-oriented and ensure transparency and accountability in every aspect. In the light of the father of the nation’s cooperative thinking, all kinds of discrimination should be eliminated and the country should be moved forward on the path of prosperity.

In her speech, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, ‘Cooperatives are making a significant contribution to the country’s agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, dairy production, meeting nutritional needs, transportation, small business, housing, women’s empowerment, and improving the quality of life of the underprivileged. Our government is working intensively to increase the efficiency and performance of the cooperatives by providing intensive vocational training, loan facilities on easy terms, technical and other facilities according to the local needs.

The prime minister said, ‘The greatest Bengali of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s cherished dream was to build a happy-prosperous-self-reliant Bangladesh. The cooperative was the tool to fulfill his dream of building Sonar Bangla. It is possible to realize Bangabandhu’s dream with the united efforts of cooperatives and cooperative-affiliates.’

The day is being celebrated with due dignity across the country today. On this occasion, the National Cooperative Award-2022 will be given at the conference center of the Directorate of Cooperatives at Agargaon in the capital at 3 pm. On the occasion of the day, 10 cooperative societies have been nominated for National Cooperative Awards in 10 categories.