ILO COOP contributes a video message on cooperatives to the Keraleeyam festival

ILO COOP Contributed a Video Message to the Keraleeyam festival, which was organized by the Government of Kerala to celebrate the progress, achievements and cultural heritage of Kerala.

Ms Simel Esim was invited as a panellist in the session on “Cooperatives in Kerala” on the third day of the event on November 4, 2023. In her video message, she commented on a brief concept note on cooperatives in Kerala. The note emphasized the role of primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), district cooperative banks (DCBs), and the apex bank, Kerala State Cooperative Bank in providing affordable credit, savings, and other financial services to small-scale farmers, and workers in rural areas.

In her video message Ms. Esim pointed out the diversity of cooperatives in Kerala and the support they receive from the state. She highlighted the role of women’s collectives, self-help groups and cooperatives across sectors to improving their livelihoods. She also noted that despite considerable progress, challenges remain vis a vis the autonomy and independence of cooperatives stemming from undue influence and possible interference by government institutions or political parties on governance, management, and financial operations of cooperatives.

Ms. Esim’s video message can be viewed here. The seminar catalogue can be viewed here.