YINGKIONG: A ‘Cooperative Mahotsav’ was organised by the Upper Siang District Cooperative Union Ltd at a hotel here on Friday with the aim of boosting local enterprises and promoting financial inclusion.
The event brought together representatives of cooperative societies, LAMPS, government institutions, RBI MoneyWise, Mariyang CFL, Crisil Foundation, and partner organisations to strengthen cooperative enterprises, market linkages, and financial inclusion across the district.
The event was attended by NABARD DDC Shivaji Munshi and NERAMAC BDO Md Abdul Rakib. Also present were Upper Siang ARCS Ojhon Lego, Crisil Foundation CBO Kalinam, and others.
In his address, Munshi outlined a comprehensive business strategy for cooperative societies and LAMPS, underscoring the importance of enterprise planning, value addition, and digital linkage through institutional finance to scale production and reach new markets.
He encouraged societies to formalise business plans and leverage banking and NABARD support for longterm viability.
Rakib highlighted procurement mechanisms and valueaddition opportunities for agricultural and horticultural produce, urging producers to adopt aggregation models and quality grading to meet market requirements.
The introduction and onboarding of the district’s products on the NERACE portal – developed collaboratively by the NEC NE DFi and NERAMAC – was showcased as a key market access intervention to expand the reach of Upper Siang’s products beyond local markets.
The Mariyang CFL conducted an interactive session on financial inclusion and literacy. Community-based organisations and field coordinators led practical sessions covering central government schemes such as PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.
The district extension officer assisted the participants in completing the field input reporting format, ensuring accurate documentation of beneficiaries’ activities.
The participants were also apprised of the RBI MoneyWise CFL initiative and other capacity-building efforts aimed at strengthening financial awareness and responsible credit use.
A question and answer segment allowed the cooperative members and villagers to raise queries on banking services, agricultural practices and government welfare schemes, which were addressed by a panel of officials and technical partners.
