Bhubaneswar: The state cabinet on Saturday approved the State Cooperation Policy-2026, aimed at aligning Odisha’s cooperative framework with the National Cooperation Policy notified in July 2025.Briefing the media, chief secretary Anu Garg said the policy focuses on leveraging technology and institutional reforms to transform the cooperative sector into a vibrant, efficient and member-centric ecosystem, in line with the state’s vision of inclusive growth.The state policy seeks to strengthen a wide range of cooperative institutions, including primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS), cooperative banks, marketing and processing societies, dairy, tribal, handloom, fisheries and housing cooperatives, with the objective of improving service delivery and last-mile outreach.Key objectives of the policy include providing a stable legal, regulatory and financial framework for sustainable growth of cooperatives, modernising and professionalising their functioning to ensure transparency and accountability, strengthening PACS as multi-service centres, enhancing member participation and financial inclusion and promoting value addition, agri-processing, storage and market linkages.The policy is anchored on seven strategic pillars, including digital transformation, diversification of cooperative activities, member empowerment, financial strengthening, professional management, governance reforms and enhanced state support.The govt expects the policy to boost village-level economic activity, improve access to credit and insurance and strengthen cooperative institutions across the state. The policy will remain operational till 2036 and aligns with Odisha’s roadmap for Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.
