Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced on Saturday (July 5, 2025) that India’s first national university dedicated to the cooperative sector will be established in Gujarat, aiming to eliminate nepotism by ensuring that only trained individuals are hired in the sector moving forward. Speaking at Anand Agriculture University after laying the foundation stone for Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU), Shah emphasized the importance of professional training.

Named After Amul Pioneer

The university is named in honor of the late Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel, a key figure in India’s cooperative movement and one of the founders of Amul. TSU is set to be developed on a 125-acre campus at an estimated cost of ₹500 crore, adjacent to the Water and Land Management Institute.

Shah explained that the cooperative sector had previously followed the model of hiring first and training later. TSU aims to reverse this trend, ensuring job opportunities are available only to those already equipped with relevant skills. He added that the university would tackle structural challenges in the sector and address existing training gaps that affect around 30 crore Indians involved in cooperatives.

Need for Trained Manpower

According to Shah, the sector doesn’t lack talent but is in need of professionally trained personnel, such as skilled administrators and technical experts. TSU is envisioned as a means to fill this significant gap.

Addressing Naming Concerns

Responding to criticism over the university not being named after Dr. Verghese Kurien, widely regarded as the architect of India’s White Revolution, Shah acknowledged Kurien’s undeniable contributions to the cooperative sector. However, he highlighted that it was Tribhuvandas Patel’s foresight and leadership that laid the foundation for the movement’s strength today. He further pointed out that Patel was a Congress leader, long before the BJP’s inception, indirectly rebuking the party’s criticism.