Thrust on reviving cooperative movement by amending laws

The 55th National Cooperative Day was observed in districts, including Bagerhat, Dinajpur, Gopalganj, Joypurhat, Panchagarh, Pirojpur and Rajbari, on Sunday under the theme “We will build cooperatives; we will build the country - Bangladesh for all” and with a call for eliminating corruption, strengthening the capacity of cooperative societies, taking effective initiatives to market their products and amending necessary laws to revive the cooperative movement in the country.

BAGERHAT: To mark the Day, the district and upazila administrations, in collaboration with the local cooperative office, jointly organised a rally and a discussion meeting. 

The programme began with the hoisting of the national and cooperative flags, followed by a procession through the town’s main roads.

A discussion meeting was later held at the Zilla Parishad Auditorium, chaired by District Cooperative Officer Md Anisur Rahman, with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Golam Md Baten as the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, Baten said cooperatives play a vital role in socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation. By pooling small amounts of capital and creating self-employment opportunities, cooperative societies help sustain the rural economy, he said, adding that transparency and accountability are essential to building a prosperous, inequality-free Bangladesh.

The programme concluded with the presentation of crests and awards to successful cooperative members and outstanding cooperative societies.

DINAJPUR: To mark the day, a rally, discussion meeting, cooperative fair, cultural programme and awards ceremony were held.

Dinajpur-3 Constituency MP Syed Jahangir Alam inaugurated the rally at 9:15 am from the DC office premises. Joined by government officials and cooperative members, the rally marched through various town roads before ending at the Shishu Academy.

DC Md Rafiqul Islam chaired the discussion meeting at the academy, attended by Superintendent of Police (SP) Zedan Al Musa and Zilla Parishad Administrator and District BNP President Advocate Mofazzal Hossain Dulal, among others.


GOPALGANJ: The Day’s programme began with the hoisting of the national flag, a rally and a discussion meeting organised jointly by the district administration and the Department of Cooperatives.

DC Md Arif-uz-Zaman inaugurated the programme by hoisting the national flag at the Government Integrated Office Complex.

A colourful rally then paraded through several town roads before returning to the venue, where a discussion meeting was held. SP Md Habibullah and Zilla Parishad Administrator Sharif Rafiquzzaman also addressed the gathering.

Speakers highlighted the role of cooperatives in national development and building a self-reliant economy, saying they can help rural communities achieve financial independence. They said government initiatives to promote the cooperative sector were continuing. The guests later visited stalls showcasing products made by cooperative members.

JOYPURHAT: The day-long programme was jointly organised by the district administration and the Department of Cooperatives. It began at 10 am with a colourful rally of cooperative members from the DC office premises, which paraded through the town.

A discussion meeting followed at the DC’s conference room, with DC Md Al-Mamun Mia attending as the chief guest.

Speakers included local government officials, political representatives and cooperative leaders. They called on the government to provide greater support and take necessary initiatives to strengthen cooperatives and promote cooperative-based national development.

PANCHAGARH: State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad on Sunday urged men and women to build cooperatives across agriculture, business and other sectors to promote economic self-reliance and strengthen the rural economy.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the 55th National Cooperative Day and a cooperative fair on the Panchagarh Collectorate premises, he said cooperatives should go beyond product marketing to create employment, accelerate economic development and advance social progress by bringing both men and women into organised collective ventures.

Earlier, a rally was held from the DC office to mark the day, followed by the hoisting of the national and cooperative flags and the inauguration of the fair.

Separately, at a district law and order committee meeting, Azad expressed satisfaction over declining incidents of murder, mugging and robbery but voiced concern over a rising trend in suicides.

He called for awareness campaigns at district, upazila and union levels, urging families, communities and local representatives to support people experiencing depression and emotional distress to help prevent suicides.

PIROJPUR: To mark the day, the district administration and the Department of Cooperatives jointly organised a discussion meeting at Sadar Upazila Shaheed Omar Faruq auditorium on Sunday morning.  

State Minister for Housing and Public Works Ahammad Sohel Monzoor, MP, was connected virtually as the chief guest while DC Md Golam Rabbani chaired the meeting.

Among others, SP Muhammad Talebur Rahman, PPM (Service), District BNP Convener Md Nazrul Islam Khan and Member Secretary SM Saidul Islam Kismat were the special guests. 

The speakers said through cooperatives, economical advancement of the country and sustainable society building is possible. The role of cooperative members is remarkable in rural development.

RAJBARI: The district administration and the District Cooperative Office jointly organised a rally at 1:30 pm, starting from the DC office and passing through major town roads before concluding at the same venue.

A discussion meeting followed at the DC’s conference room, chaired by Additional DC (General) Tariff-ul-Hasan. DC Afroza Parvin attended as the chief guest.

Speakers included former District BNP convener Principal Manjurul Alam Dulal, former joint convener Gazi Ahsan Habib, Civil Surgeon Dr SM Masud and District Cooperative Officer Al-Amin.

Addressing more than 100 cooperative members, speakers stressed that cooperatives can help small and marginalised communities pool capital, labour and skills to achieve financial independence. They highlighted their potential to boost agricultural production, expand businesses, create jobs, empower women and strengthen rural economies, while calling for greater transparency and accountability in cooperative societies.

District Cooperative Officer Al-Amin said Rajbari has 1,607 cooperative organisations, with approximately Tk 39 crore in accumulated capital.