Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will launch a statewide cooperative membership campaign, ‘Sambandha’, on September 1, aimed at expanding the cooperative movement across rural Odisha.
Under the initiative, the Cooperation Department plans to enrol at least one member from every rural household, bringing cooperative services closer to people and strengthening rural livelihoods.
The campaign seeks to deepen grassroots participation in cooperatives by connecting rural families with institutions offering agricultural, financial and other community-oriented services. The government expects the initiative to give fresh momentum to the state’s cooperative network and make cooperatives more accessible at the doorstep.
In another significant move, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Large-sized Adivasi Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS) will distribute dividends to their members for the first time in Odisha.
The twin initiatives, wider membership and dividend distribution, are being positioned as important steps towards making cooperatives more member-centric while ensuring that rural communities directly benefit from the cooperative system.
