Bhubaneswar: Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, accompanied by Joint Secretary Siddharth Jain and Director Mukesh Kumar, visited Odisha to assess advancements in the cooperative sector.
The visit aligned with the national vision of “Cooperation is Prosperity,” aimed at bolstering the rural economy through strengthened cooperatives.Dr. Bhutani attended the fourth meeting of the State Cooperative Development Committee (SCDC), chaired by Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg. The committee reviewed and guided cooperative development to prosper rural communities.
Key highlights included significant strides in computerizing Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) offices. Discussions focused on expediting the rollout of new Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Large Area Multipurpose Societies (LAMPs) statewide.
Special attention was given to implementing warehouse construction in PACS under the world’s largest grain storage scheme. The meeting explored establishing Prime Minister’s Indian General Medicine Centers and Common Service Centers via PACS, while transforming them into multipurpose service hubs. Dr. Bhutani expressed satisfaction with Odisha’s performance and praised the proactive execution of central schemes.
The state presented major reforms, including allocating at least one acre of government land to PACS and LAMPs for biosphere reserves, strengthening Paddy Procurement Centers (PPCs), providing support funds and shares to societies, and enhancing fertilizer distribution—targeting 60% of state requirements through cooperatives this year.Other initiatives covered establishing NAFED markets, OMFED or AMUL parlors via PACS, milk collection from dairy farmers, cadre rules and central recruitment for CEOs, revitalizing cooperative banking, and reviving dormant sugar mills like Badamba in Cuttack and Vijaya Vijayananda Samabya in Balangir.
Central representatives appreciated these innovative steps and pledged full assistance.Post-meeting, Dr. Bhutani held a virtual session with District Collectors, urging faster land transfers for the grain storage project and regular District Cooperative Development Committee meetings.
He also inaugurated a Digital and IT Skill Training Programme for PACS and LAMPs employees, in collaboration with Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited (OKCL), and visited the OMFED Head Office, emphasizing coordination among cooperative institutions.
Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Odisha Cooperative Department, thanked the central team and sought continued collaboration to achieve shared goals of rural prosperity.
