Overview

• At a Sahkar Samvaad in Ahmedabad on July 9, Shah pledged to dedicate his post-retirement years to chemical-free farming and intensive study of the Vedas and Upanishads.
• He highlighted natural farming’s benefits, citing a 1.5-times yield increase on his own land and earthworms’ role as natural fertiliser that improves soil health and water retention.
• Shah linked chemical fertilisers to diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders and cancer, arguing that organic methods can reduce dependence on medicines.
• His remarks follow earlier July reforms, including laying the foundation stone for Tribhuvan Sahkari University in Anand on July 4 and forming a national cooperative R&D council during the International Year of Cooperatives.
• The Ministry of Cooperation is scaling its Sahkar Samvaad engagement across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan while operationalising new cooperative institutions and research initiatives launched this month.