Viksit Bharat 2047
Punjab Governor Chairs session on AI-Driven Future of Cooperative Sector; SBSSU VC Prof. Sharma highlights AI as game changer
Harish Monga
Ferozepur, July 19: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to play a transformative role in strengthening India's cooperative sector by enabling smarter, faster and data-driven decision-making, said Prof. Suresh Kumar Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University (SBSSU), Ferozepur.
Delivering a presentation on the Future of Cooperatives at Chandigarh Civil Secretariat, presided over by Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor, Prof. Suresh Kumar Sharma highlighted the vast potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in revolutionising agriculture, dairy, cooperative banking and marketing. He noted that India's cooperative movement, comprising over eight lakh cooperative societies and serving more than 30 crore member families, forms the backbone of the rural economy.
He said AI can address long-standing challenges such as inefficient decision-making, low profitability, manual record-keeping, limited market intelligence and climate uncertainty by enabling predictive analytics, automation and intelligent decision support systems.
In the cooperative banking sector, AI can improve credit scoring, loan approvals, fraud detection and risk assessment, helping reduce non-performing assets while enhancing transparency and efficiency. In agriculture, AI-powered tools can assist in crop disease detection, yield forecasting, precision farming and irrigation management. Dairy cooperatives can benefit from AI through milk quality testing, livestock health monitoring and efficient cold-chain management.
Prof. Sharma cited successful initiatives by AMUL, IFFCO, NABARD and the National Agriculture Market (eNAM) as examples of how AI is already reshaping India's cooperative ecosystem.
Looking ahead, he said emerging technologies such as Generative AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and robotics would pave the way for a paperless, transparent and climate-resilient "Smart Cooperative 2035."
Emphasising the human-centric role of technology, Prof. Sharma said AI would not replace cooperatives but empower them to become more productive, transparent, profitable and inclusive, contributing significantly towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.