Union Minister Amit Shah Launches NAFED’s NAFEX.in Auction Portal

Source: News on Air

Context

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) auction portal NAFEX.in on 23 June 2026 at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, New Delhi. The launch is an important step toward strengthening transparency, efficiency, and ease of operations in the agricultural auction process. The portal provides a digital platform for streamlining auction-related activities and enhances NAFED’s functioning in the interest of farmers, member institutions, and stakeholders. During the programme, the Minister also launched several digital and farmer-centric initiatives of NAFED, including: (1) NAFED-KALYAN scholarship for children of farmers; (2) DRISHTI portal for inventory management of pulses and oilseeds; and (3) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) portal for strengthening enterprise resource planning. The Minister also chaired a meeting with NAFED’s Board of Directors, where a presentation was made on activities, progress, action taken on previous directions, and the future roadmap. The launch aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” and the government’s efforts to strengthen cooperative institutions through technology, transparency, and farmer-centric reforms.

The Launch

• Date: 23 June 2026 (Tuesday).
• Venue: Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Launched by: Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation.
• Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation.

The Four Major Initiatives Launched

1. NAFEX.in Auction Portal

• Type: Digital auction platform.
• Purpose:
  • Streamline auction-related activities.
  • Improve transparency.
  • Enhance efficiency.
  • Ease of operations.
• Beneficiaries:
  • Farmers.
  • Member institutions.
  • Other stakeholders.
• Activities: A live demonstration of the registration process and launch of auction operations was conducted.

2. NAFED-KALYAN Scholarship Scheme

• Type: Educational scholarship.
• Beneficiaries: Children of farmers.
• Aim:
  • Support education of farmers’ children.
  • Reflect NAFED’s commitment to farmer welfare.
• Activity: Shah distributed scholarship cheques to children of farmers during the programme.

3. DRISHTI Portal

• Type: Inventory management portal.
• Aim: Track inventory of pulses and oilseeds.
• Significance:
  • Better procurement planning.
  • Reduced losses and wastage.
  • Smooth Public Distribution System (PDS) integration.
  • Supports MSP procurement.

4. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Portal

• Type: Organisational management portal.
• Aim: Strengthen enterprise resource planning at NAFED.
• Functions:
  • Integrated business processes.
  • Finance and accounting.
  • Supply chain management.
  • HR management.
  • Inventory tracking.
  • Decision support.

Meeting with NAFED Board of Directors

• Chair: Shri Amit Shah.
• Agenda:
  • Presentation by NAFED on activities and progress.
  • Action taken on previous directions by the Minister.
  • Future roadmap of NAFED.

About NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India)

• Established: 2 October 1958 (Gandhi Jayanti).
• Registered under: Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 (initially under the Bombay Co-operative Societies Act, 1925).
• Headquartered: New Delhi.
• Type: Apex cooperative organisation for marketing of agricultural produce.
• Under: Ministry of Cooperation (since 2021).
• Functions:
  • Marketing of cooperative agricultural products.
  • Procurement of pulses, oilseeds, and other commodities at MSP under PSS (Price Support Scheme).
  • PM-AASHA implementation.
  • Storage and warehousing.
  • Export and import of agricultural commodities.
  • Trade in fertilizers and agricultural inputs.

About Sahkar Se Samriddhi (Prosperity Through Cooperation)

• Vision of PM Narendra Modi.
• Aim: Strengthen cooperative institutions to drive economic development.
• Coined: 2021, with the creation of Ministry of Cooperation.
• Pillars:
  • Strengthening cooperative societies.
  • Digitisation.
  • Farmer empowerment.
  • Technology-led transformation.

About the Ministry of Cooperation

• Created: 6 July 2021.
• Created from: Department of Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• First Minister: Shri Amit Shah (still serving).
• Vision: “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”.
• Aim:
  • Strengthen cooperative movement.
  • Deepen cooperatives at grassroots level.

Related Government Initiatives

• Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (October 2025).
• PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan).
• Price Support Scheme (PSS).
• Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS).
• Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPSS).
• eNAM (National Agriculture Market).
• Operation Greens (TOP: Tomato, Onion, Potato).
• Soil Health Card Scheme.
• PM-KISAN.

About NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation)

• Apex consumer cooperative organisation.
• Established: 1965.
• Works alongside NAFED for subsidised retail sales of pulses, onions, etc.

Why is “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” Important?

• Reaches every village through cooperatives.
• Empowers small and marginal farmers.
• Builds resilience against market volatility.
• Supports doubling farmer income target.
• Aligns with Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Practice MCQs

Q1. With reference to the NAFED initiatives launched by Amit Shah on 23 June 2026, consider the following statements:

1. The NAFEX.in auction portal was launched at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. The launch event included the distribution of NAFED-KALYAN scholarship cheques to children of farmers.
3. The DRISHTI portal is for inventory management of pulses and oilseeds.
4. The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) portal is for organisational management at NAFED.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

Q2. With reference to NAFED, consider the following statements:

1. NAFED was established on 2 October 1958.
2. It is the apex cooperative organisation for marketing of agricultural produce.
3. NAFED is headquartered in New Delhi and currently under the Ministry of Cooperation.
4. NAFED operates under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; NAFED operates under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, NOT the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.)

Q3. With reference to the “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” vision, consider the following statements:

1. It is the vision of PM Narendra Modi for “Prosperity Through Cooperation”.
2. It was coined around 2021, with the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation.
3. The Ministry of Cooperation was created on 6 July 2021 with Amit Shah as the first Minister.
4. The Ministry was created out of the Ministry of Finance.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; the Ministry of Cooperation was created from the Department of Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, NOT from the Ministry of Finance.)

Q4. With reference to NAFED’s role in agricultural procurement, consider the following statements:

1. NAFED procures pulses, oilseeds, and copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
2. NAFED implements PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan).
3. NAFED is the sole procurement agency for the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (October 2025), with NCCF as a partner.
4. NAFED is responsible for fertilizer manufacturing in India.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; fertilizer manufacturing is undertaken by IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and other cooperatives, NOT NAFED.)

Q5. With reference to India’s cooperative sector, consider the following statements:

1. The cooperative sector contributes about 35 per cent to fertilizer distribution and about 31 per cent to sugar production.
2. About 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) are being computerised under a government initiative.
3. Three new national cooperatives launched in 2023 are NCEL, NCOL, and BBSSL.
4. The Ministry of Cooperation has never created any database for cooperatives.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; the Ministry of Cooperation has created the National Cooperative Database.)

Q6. With reference to allied cooperative bodies in India, consider the following statements:

1. NAFED handles agricultural marketing while NCCF handles consumer cooperatives.
2. NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) is responsible for cooperative development.
3. IFFCO is a major cooperative fertilizer manufacturer.
4. AMUL/GCMMF is a major cooperative organisation in the dairy sector.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

Answer Key

1. (d), All four statements are correct.
2. (c), Statements 1, 2, 3 are correct; Statement 4 is wrong because NAFED operates under Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
3. (c), Statements 1, 2, 3 are correct; Statement 4 is wrong because the Ministry was created from Ministry of Agriculture.
4. (c), Statements 1, 2, 3 are correct; Statement 4 is wrong because fertilizer manufacturing is by IFFCO, KRIBHCO, etc.
5. (c), Statements 1, 2, 3 are correct; Statement 4 is wrong because the National Cooperative Database has been created.
6. (d), All four statements are correct.

Exam Relevance

NABARD Grade A

Very high importance, cooperatives, NAFED, PACS, rural credit