Kathmandu, Sept 5: Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Padma Aryal, has urged the people involved actively in cooperatives to invest in productive sectors.

Addressing a programme organized on the 9th anniversary of Nepal Cooperatives Journalists' Society here today, Minister Aryal reiterated that the scheme of 'one municipality-one agro farm' should be promoted via cooperatives. She reminded that she had launched this scheme from Syangja district. So, those working in the cooperatives could set up the agro farm in all 753 local levels, she underscored.

Currently, the total capital of the cooperatives across the country stands at Rs 700 billion. There are 35,000 cooperatives, which have provided employments to some 65,000 people in Nepal.

At the programme, Chairman of the National Federation of Cooperatives, Keshab Badal, pointed out the need of amending Cooperatives Act 2074.

Meanwhile, Nepal Cooperatives Journalists' Society Journalism Award has been conferred on journalist Sabin Thapaliya. He is associated with clickmandu.com. The award carries the purse of Rs 5,111.

Journalist with nepalive.com, Hemanta Joshi, provided Rs 15,000 to the Society for its promotion.