Odisha marked the beginning of the United Nations-declared International Year of Cooperatives 2025 with a grand inaugural ceremony held at the Swosti Hotel in Bhubaneswar.
Cooperation, Handlooms, Handicrafts and Textiles Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta formally inaugurated the event as the chief guest, emphasising the need for inter-cooperative economic collaboration to strengthen institutions in the current market economy.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Bal Samanta highlighted the state government’s commitment to creating a robust cooperative ecosystem, guided by the Government of India’s directives. He stressed enhancing linkages and cooperation among sectors such as agriculture, marketing, banking, consumer services, animal husbandry, fisheries, handlooms, and handicrafts.
The Minister focused on key areas, including the restructuring of primary cooperative societies, business expansion, economic participation among cooperatives, financial inclusion of members, and facilitating easy marketing and storage of food grains produced by farmers. He described the International Year as a planned initiative to make the cooperative movement more robust, organised, and people-oriented, bringing transformative change in economic and social spheres.
The Government of India has taken extensive steps to develop and activate the cooperative sector, with multiple schemes formulated to strengthen rural economies. A policy decision has been made to establish one Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) in every panchayat. Minister Balsamant asserted that the cooperative movement will succeed only when its benefits reach every individual in rural areas.
The program featured four panel discussions with experts on topics such as business diversification in agricultural cooperatives, inter-sectoral cooperation, implementation of the world’s largest grain storage scheme, and the supply of 60% of chemical fertilisers in the state through MARKFED and cooperatives.
Prominent participants included Joint Secretary Pankaj Srivastava from the Union Ministry of Cooperation, Director Mukesh Mukar, NABARD’s Chief General Manager, FCI’s General Manager, and Managing Director of Gujarat Banaskantha Dairy, among others.
During the event, Minister Balsamant felicitated several cooperative institutions for outstanding performance:
- Lathikata Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (Sundargarh) and Shadangi Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (Dhenkanal) for excellence in Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras and agricultural service centers.
- Boden Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society and Nuapada Sub-Registrar of Cooperative Societies for notable work through public service centers.
- Sarat Agricultural Cooperative Society (Khordha), Shri Jagannath Cooperative Society, and Akhandashwar Cooperative Society (Cuttack) received first, second, and third prizes respectively for business diversification based on national cooperative database rankings.
Other dignitaries present included Director Kapil Meena from the Union Ministry of Cooperation, Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Fisheries Director Mohammad Saddiq Alam, OMFED Managing Director Vijay Amruta Kulange, Registrar of Cooperative Societies Siddharth Das, and AGCS Santosh Nayak.
The celebrations align with the global theme “Cooperatives Build a Better World,” underscoring cooperatives’ role in sustainable rural development and inclusive growth.
