The Chief Minister launched 1,542 new Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Cooperatives (PACS) in the state at an event held at the Lokseva Bhavan Convention Centre. With a total of 2,711 PACS in the state, the number has now increased to 4,253 with the addition of these new cooperatives.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the central government’s cooperative department has initiated 54 programs to make the cooperative movement more people-oriented. These efforts include converting PACS into multi-purpose entities, introducing model by-laws, strengthening PACS through computerization, and setting up agricultural service centers, public medicine centers, and common service centers. In the first phase, the state government plans to develop 77 PACS as model packs, which will serve as One-Stop Shops, offering all agricultural-related services under one roof.
Additionally, the Chief Minister announced that the state government will return the deposit amount to the depositors of the Bhubaneswar Cooperative Bank.