Bhubaneswar:25/9/26: Odisha Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi launched ‘Sambandh’, a state-wide mega membership drive for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Large Area Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPCS), during a state-level event at the Krushi Shiksha Sadan in OUAT, Bhubaneswar.
Emphasizing the vital role of grassroots institutions, Chief Minister Shri Majhi declared that cooperative societies are not political platforms, but the true lifeline of farming families across the state.
Cooperation Minister Shri Pradeep Bal Samanta, Chief Secretary Shrimati Anu Garg, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Secretary Shri Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav, Textiles and Handlooms Secretary Shrimati Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, Cooperation Secretary Shri Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, and Registrar of Cooperative Societies Shri Manish Agarwal attended the event alongside agricultural members and cooperators from across Odisha.
The initiative seeks to forge a deeper bond of trust between the state government and agricultural households while encouraging farmers to enroll in PACS and LAMPCS in large numbers.
Aligned with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ and guidance from Union Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah, Odisha has become the first state in India to formulate its Cooperative Policy 2026. Under this framework, PACS and LAMPCS are evolving beyond simple credit distribution into integrated, multi-service one-stop solution centers. Beyond facilitating paddy procurement at a Minimum Support Price of 3,100 rupees per quintal, these units now supply fertilizers, seeds, modern farm machinery, core banking, crop insurance, and milk collection services under a single roof.
During the launch, Chief Minister Shri Majhi inaugurated 185 transformed mandis, 50 custom hiring centers, 250 Common Services Centers, 60 consumer stores, 70 new PACS office and godown buildings, and 21 milk collection units within PACS. He also laid the foundation stones for 4 model mandis and 3 grain storage godowns under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan.
To bring transparency and operational efficiency to cooperative societies, the government launched online operations across 300 PACS using the National PACS Software, enabling core banking and real-time settlement capabilities. Marking a historical milestone, the distribution of financial dividends directly to farmer-members was initiated for the 2024-25 financial year, starting with farmers across 322 PACS and LAMPCS, with plans to benefit nearly 8 lakh farmers across over 500 societies.
In a major push for local industry, Chief Minister Shri Majhi introduced a specialized scheme for promoting sugarcane production in cooperative sugar mill belts. Farmers in the Badamba and Asika sugar mill areas will receive an input subsidy of 15,000 rupees per acre, alongside access to high-sugar-content cane seeds provided by the Agriculture Department. Official appointment letters were also handed over to 66 recruits across the Odisha State Warehousing Corporation and the Cooperative Department.