Odisha: The government will introduce a new policy to strengthen the cooperative sector in the state.
The Cooperation Department today placed the State Cooperative Policy-2026 before the Odisha Cabinet for approval.
This new policy is a major step towards transforming the cooperative sector into a vibrant, technology-driven, efficient, and member-centric ecosystem, aligned with the state government’s vision of inclusive development.
The Union Ministry of Cooperation had introduced the National Cooperative Policy last July to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation). The Ministry had advised all state governments to formulate their policies in line with the central policy.
The state government said that accordingly, the Cooperation Department of the state government prepared a draft policy document after consulting various stakeholders, including cooperative members, concerned departments, academicians, cooperative institutions, sector experts, field-level officers, and the general public.
The new policy will remain in effect until 2036.
It stated that the State Cooperative Policy-2026 aims to strengthen Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), LAMPCS, cooperative banks, cooperative marketing and processing societies, dairy, tribal, handloom, fisheries, and housing cooperatives to enhance service delivery and last-mile impact.
The new policy is based on seven strategic pillars, including strengthening the foundation of cooperatives, digital transformation, cooperative diversification, member empowerment, financial strengthening, professionalization of management, governance reforms, and improved state support mechanisms.
The expected outcomes of the new policy include a robust cooperative network delivering reliable services, increased economic activity at the village level, improved credit flow, crop insurance coverage, marketing efficiency and value chain integration, and strong institutional capacities and transparent cooperative functioning across the state. The government stated, “The State Cooperative Policy-2026 is expected to give a new direction and momentum to the cooperative movement in Odisha, enabling it to become a major driver of enhancing rural livelihoods and economic empowerment. The new policy is envisioned to be implemented until 2036.”
