Odisha Coop Societies Play Crucial Role In Farm Sector, Says Minister At Global Meet In Belgium

Bhubaneswar: The cooperative movement of Odisha was enriched by some of the best practices of the UK and other European countries, said Cooperation Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak on Tuesday.

Speaking at the joint International Cooperative Alliance Committee on Cooperative Research Global and European Cooperative Research Conference in Leuven, Belgium, the minister said the Father of Cooperative Movement in Odisha, legendary Madhusudan Das established the first cooperative in the state in 1898 after he visited the cooperatives formed by the Rochdale Brothers.

“Cooperative societies have been playing a crucial role in fostering agricultural and other kinds of growth of the state. The state government has initiated a number of innovative measures to deliver effective and proactive governance to all stakeholders,” he said.

He also highlighted the innovative measures adopted by the government to ensure good governance and prosperity through cooperatives. These measures include computerisation and digitisation of the Agricultural Cooperative Credit Structure, making PACSs one-stop-shops, creation of new PACS/LAMPCS, procurement of agri produce, cooperative support system, cooperative capacity building and separate cooperative policy.

The minister is on 8-day visit to Belgium to attend the conference from July 10 to 13. Hosted by the Centre of Expertise for Cooperative Entrepreneurship [KCO KU Leuven], the conference is attended by academics, researchers and cooperative practitioners from across the world as well as policy-makers of the European Union.

T Prasad Rao Dora, president and Udhab Charan Majhi, MD of Odisha State Cooperative Bank accompanied the minister.