Amit Shah to visit West Bengal on Feb 18, will participate in several programs ahead of Assembly polls

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 16 (ANI): Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is expected to visit West Bengal to participate in several programs ahead of the 2026 state Assembly elections.
He would arrive at Kolkata airport on February 18 (Wednesday), around 1.30 pm. From there, he will take a helicopter to Mayapur, where he is scheduled to participate in several programs at the ISKCON temple. It is reported that he will spend approximately two hours at ISKCON.
Amit Shah will participate in the 152nd birth anniversary celebrations of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur at ISKCON in Mayapur.
Politics in West Bengal has heated up as the state is set to hold Assembly Elections later this year.
Meanwhile, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi" and under the leadership of the Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, the Ministry of Cooperation has undertaken wide-ranging, structural reforms in recent years to strengthen the cooperative sector, making it more transparent and modern, a release said.
With the objective of transforming cooperative societies from merely institutional entities into member-centric, income-enhancing and self-reliant economic units, a high-level 'Manthan' Meeting of Cooperation Ministers of States and Union Territories will be held on 17 February 2026 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, under the chairmanship of Amit Shah.
The meeting will be attended by Cooperation Ministers of all States and Union Territories, along with officers of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary.
The platform will enable a comprehensive review of the Ministry of Cooperation's key initiatives, an assessment of progress to date, the exchange of best practices and experiences from States, and the preparation of a coordinated roadmap for the future.
According to the release, discussions will include progress on establishing 2 lakh new Multi-Purpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy and fisheries cooperative societies, to provide fresh momentum to the rural economy. Deliberations will also be held to expand the nationwide network of modern warehouses under the world's largest grain storage plan, ensuring improved storage capacity, price stability, and better market access for farmers.
The meeting will also focus on the role, participation and expectations of States in newly formed national-level cooperative institutions -- National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) -- to strengthen cooperatives in the areas of exports, organic farming and quality seed supply.
Further, discussions will cover time-bound reforms to State cooperative laws, the adoption of model legislation aligned with the 97th Constitutional Amendment, enhancing the economic viability of cooperative sugar mills, promoting circularity and sustainability in the dairy sector, and the formation of new dairy cooperative societies in collaboration with Amul and NDDB.
Issues such as promoting pulses and maize production, resolving challenges faced by cooperative banks, strengthening Shared Service Entities (SSEs) and umbrella structures, expanding membership and awareness campaigns, and developing an effective media and communications strategy will also be part of the deliberations.
In addition, States' expectations regarding the computerisation of PACS and RCS offices, utilisation of the National Cooperative Database, human resource development and training, and improved implementation of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) schemes will be discussed, a release added.
The Manthan Meeting is expected to further strengthen the spirit of cooperative federalism and foster closer coordination between the Centre and the States, thereby making cooperatives a powerful instrument of prosperity, employment generation and self-reliance at the grassroots level. (ANI)