August 14: A total of 155 cooperatives located across various districts in Gandaki province have successfully merged to create 65 entities.  The merger process was initiated following the enactment of the Cooperatives Act in 2075 BS, which was subsequently published in the Province Gazette.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law for the province confirmed this substantial merger that merger efforts have resulted in the formation of 65 new cooperatives as of April 13, 2023.

Registrar of the Cooperatives Registrar's Office in Pokhara, Roshan Aryal, said that that cooperatives from districts like Kaski, Baglung, Myagdi, Nawalpur, Gorkha, Tanahu, Lamjung, Syangja, and Parbat actively participated in the merger process.  Notably, cooperatives located in the Manang and Mustang districts are yet to partake in th merger initiative.

Kaski district led the way with the highest number of mergers, witnessing 56 cooperatives going into merger, while Myagdi and Nawalpur followed closely with 27 each. Gorkha recorded eight mergers, Tanahu seven, Lamjung five, Syangja four, and Parbat three.

The merged entities include a diverse range of cooperative types, including saving and credit cooperatives, multi-purpose cooperatives, communication cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives, dairy cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, and small farmers' cooperatives. (RSS)