Indira Gandhi Institute of Co-operative Management, Lucknow is one of the 19 Institutes in the country functioning under the administrative control of National Council for Co-operative Training, New Delhi, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture & Co-operation, Government of India. Institute is located at Block-B, Sector-18, Rajajipuram, Lucknow.

The objective of this institute is to inject the professionalisation of Management in the Co-operative enterprises. From the very beginning the institute has been acting as a nodal agency for the various training, research and consultancy needs of the Co-operative institutions and department in the state. It also serves as a think tank to sort-out the specific problems of the co-operatives in this state.

The institute offers need based job oriented training programmes suiting to the target group of officers of government department and co-operative institutions. The annual calendar of programmes is finalised in the expert group meeting headed by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies wherein the other functional departments heads are also invited. Every year we have to conduct minimum 71 programmes spreading over to 86 training weeks and train minimum 2100 participants. This 71 programmes includes core diplomas like Higher Diploma in Co-operative management 26 weeks, Handloom Diploma, Industrial Diploma, LDB Diploma of twelve weeks and Certificate Programme in Computer applications. In addition to the above Diplomas, we conduct MDPs/ EDPs as per requirement and need of the co-operatives department/ organisations and allied agencies related to the state in the areas of co-operation and management. To add to this, we also organise seminars, workshops and conferences to discuss the latest issues emerging in the field Co-operation and its management. From the year 2004-2005 institute has started M.B.A. programme with the capacity of 60 participants. In addition to training activities the institute also undertakes Research studies, Case studies and Consultancy service to the problems related to various fields of management.

CO-OPERATIVE TRAINING SETUP IN INDIA Training of the Co-operative employees, both institutional and departmental is being discharged through the NCUI's special standing committee known as National Council for Co-operative Training (NCCT) which has been set up in the year 1962. The NCCT is responsible for organising, directing, monitoring and evaluating the arrangements of Co-operative training for the personnel working in the Co-operative institute/departments in the country. For this purpose, it has establishes its own training structure comprises of Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Co-operative Management at Pune and 19 Institutes of Co-operative Management located in the states. The National institute provides training to policy makers and senior personnel while institutes of Co-operative management train the intermediary staff. The NCCT administers the training in these institutes and is responsible for overall coordination and academic guidance. The NCCT also provide the academic guidance to the Junior Training Centres (91)which are administratively controlled by the State Co-operative Unions.