Amit Shah announces cooperative life insurer, Bharat Taxi expansion to 500 citiesNEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the government will set up a cooperative life insurance company to expand the cooperative sector's presence in insurance. He also said the driver-owned ride-hailing platform Bharat Taxi will be expanded to 500 cities over the next two years.Speaking at an event marking the fifth foundation day of the ministry of cooperation in New Delhi, Shah said, "We will be setting up a life insurance company in the cooperative sector. This will help in the growth of cooperatives in the insurance sector." Referring to Bharat Taxi, he said the platform, launched under the cooperative model, has been performing well and will significantly expand its footprint across the country.Highlighting the ministry's work over the past five years, Shah said the cooperative sector had become more transparent, technology-driven and competitive through policy reforms. He also announced that professionals for cooperative institutions would be recruited on merit to improve efficiency and eliminate corruption. "These professionals will be appointed based on merit. Our goal is to implement professional management in a phased manner from primary cooperative societies to top institutions. This will increase transparency in appointments, improve work efficiency, and also put an effective check on corruption related to appointments," PTI quoted him saying.Shah said the ministry had helped diversify the cooperative movement beyond traditional sectors such as dairy, sugar, fertilisers and banking. He noted that primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) are now engaged in more than 25 business activities, including retail, healthcare, fuel distribution and digital services, while a national cooperative for seed production is expected to become the country's largest non-governmental seed producer within three years.Expressing confidence in the sector's future, Shah said the cooperative movement would play a central role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047. "I am fully confident that when the country celebrates the centenary of independence in 2047, the strong foundation of Viksit Bharat will be the cooperative movement," he said. During the event, he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several cooperative infrastructure projects, including grain storage facilities, e-PACS initiatives and seed production centres.