<h1>Model cooperative rules reserve two women seats and one SC/ST seat; one-time NCDC grant and exemptions outlined</h1> In a written reply to Parliament, the Cooperation Minister stated that model rules reserve two board seats for women and one for an SC/ST member on multi-state cooperative society boards and similar provisions were included in model bye-laws for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies distributed to states. The minister said certain schemes implemented through cooperatives received exemptions from mandatory SC/ST Sub-Plan allocations owing to their implementation route. He also reported a one-time grant of Rs 1,000 crore to the National Cooperative Development Corporation, which leveraged market borrowings to provide about Rs 10,000 crore in assistance-109 loans benefiting 56 cooperative sugar mills for ethanol plants, cogeneration and working capital.