Bhubaneswar: Odisha currently has 8,667 cooperative societies registered under the National Cooperative Database, of which 8,063 are functional as of July 15, 2026, the Union Ministry of Cooperation has informed.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
The disclosure comes amid the Centre’s push to strengthen the cooperative banking and credit network in rural Odisha under its “Sahakar-se-Samriddhi” vision, pursued by the Ministry since its formation on July 6, 2021, according to an official statement.
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), a statutory body under the Ministry, extends financial assistance to cooperatives across the country, including Odisha, with special focus on women and tribal cooperatives. The Corporation is encouraging women’s cooperatives to tap into three flagship schemes – Swayam Shakti Sahakar Yojana, Nandini Sahakar, and Yuva Sahakar – to access funding support.
The Centre had launched the Centrally Sponsored Project for Computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 2022, aimed at bringing all functional PACS onto a common ERP-based national software platform. The project initially covered 63,000 PACS with a financial outlay of Rs 2,516 crore. It has since been expanded to 79,630 PACS, with the outlay revised upward to Rs 2,925.39 crore.
For Odisha specifically, funds released under the Central share of the PACS computerisation project stand at Rs 18.07 crore for 2025-26 and Rs 7 crore for 2026-27, taking the total to Rs 25.07 crore.
Since its inception, the Ministry has introduced a series of reforms to boost cooperative banking in rural areas nationwide, including Odisha. The monetary ceiling on gold loans for cooperative banks has been removed, and cooperative banks have been permitted to carry out One-Time Settlement of outstanding loans. The individual housing loan limit for Rural Cooperative Banks has been enhanced to Rs 75 lakh, while the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System is being promoted for doorstep banking services.
State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks have been notified as Member Lending Institutions under the CGTMSE Scheme, and the Priority Sector Lending limit for Dairy Cooperative Societies has been raised from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore. The Ministry has also set up Sahakar Sarathi to provide technology services to Rural Cooperative Banks, and Rural Cooperative Banks have been brought under the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme.
