Conducted a Webinar on Operational Guidelines of FPOs, Cooperatives and SHGs on 18 th February, 2025 at Extension Education Institute, Hyderabad

Extension Education Institute, Hyderabad has organized a webinar on Operational Guidelines of FPOs, Cooperatives and SHGs on 18th February, 2025. Dr. K. Madhubabu, Professor and Coordinator of webinar welcomed the dignitaries and all the participants to the webinar. He narrated the importance of the webinar. Speaking on the occasion, Dr.M.Yakadri, Director of Extension, PJTAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad emphasized the need to strengthen the FPOs, Cooperatives and SHGs for the benefit of small and marginal farmers in terms availing the credit, procuring timely inputs and getting access to market and value addition. He also underscored the need to work on restoring the natural resources and addressing the challenges of climate change with these players. Shri N.Selvam, Joint Director (Extension), Directorate of Extension, DA&FW, MoA&FW, GOI has emphasized the need to work along with FPOs, Cooperatives and SHGs to address the challenges at field level. Dr. M. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Director, EEI, Hyderabad has distinguished the FPOs, Cooperatives and SHGs in terms of legal structure, members, objectives, financial support and governance. With regard to legal structure, the FPOs were registered as Producer Company or Cooperative Society, Cooperative Society as Cooperative Society, SHGs were registered as trust, society or work as informal entities. Members in the FPOs are farmers & agri-producers, in Cooperatives the members are any economic activity group, where as in SHGs the members are women, small entrepreneurs, or rural poor. The objectives of FPOs are market access and value addition, Cooperatives work on collective business, and SHGs work on savings, microfinance, and livelihood. FPOs receive financial support from bank loans and Govt. schemes, Cooperatives receive from Cooperative banks, govt. grants and SHGs receive from bank linkage, and govt. grants. The Governance of FPOs is by board of Management, Cooperatives by Management committee and SHGs by group leader & democratic decision. Shri Subrat Kumar Sahoo, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, Telangana, has spoke about operational guidelines of FPOs and Shri C.S.Reddy, Founder and CEO, APMAS, Telangana, has briefed about the Evolution of SHGs, SHG Federations & Cooperatives in India. The presentation of Shri Reddy mainly focused on SHG Movement in India – Led by women, Savings Groups: Pathway to Empowerment, SHG Institutional Architecture for Linkages, SHG Savings & Bank Linkage, Status of CBO-led Financial Inclusion in India, and Transformation of PACs in to Multi-Service Centre. Sixty seven middle level extension officials of agri and allied sectors of --,-- and – client states were attended the programme. Dr. K. Madhubabu, Professor, EEI, Hyderabad coordinated the programme.