Cooperative Societies Generate 291,529 Jobs in Jammu Kashmir, Govt Reply Shows | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Cooperative societies in Jammu and Kashmir generated a total of 291,529 jobs, the Cooperative Department told the Assembly in a written reply to an unstarred question.

The reply, provided by the Cooperative Department, Jammu and Kashmir, in response to an unstarred question tabled by Javiad Riyaz, stated that 6,089 cooperative societies or cooperatives are registered under the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Societies Act, 1989 and the Jammu and Kashmir Self-Reliant Cooperative Act, 1999. Of these, 5,084 societies are operational while 1,005 are presently non-operational or defunct.

The department gave a detailed employment breakdown: under the 1989 Act, direct employment stands at 3,255 and indirect employment at 187,918, totalling 191,173. Under the 1999 Act, direct employment is 9,315 and indirect employment 91,040, totalling 100,356. The combined total across both Acts is 291,529 jobs.

The government framed the revival as part of efforts to strengthen the cooperative sector’s contribution to local livelihoods and rural enterprise. The department also highlighted its role in sustaining direct employment while noting the far larger numbers of indirect jobs attributed to cooperative activity.