Cooperatives will spearhead rural development: LG

Jammu, Nov 14: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday said cooperatives would play an important role by spearheading rural development.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that inaugurating the 70th All India Cooperative Week celebrations across Jammu and Kashmir and launching various new initiatives in the cooperative sector, the LG said, “The cooperatives will play an important role by spearheading the rural development, developing critical infrastructure such as godowns, cold storage facilities and access to institutional finance and national and international markets to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.”

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah for their support and guidance in promoting cooperative movement in J&K.
Sinha said that the clarion call of 'Sahkar se Samridhi' had revived the values and principles of cooperatives and contributed to the economic and social progress of the people.
Dedicating the new initiatives to the people, he said that the on-boarding of 537 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) as Common Service Centres, 169 PACS as PM Kisan Samridhi Kendras, and 25 PACS as

Jan-Aushadhi Kendras would create new opportunities for cooperatives and develop a new business model.
The LG said that the launch of Sarhad Tourism Cooperative Ltd in Uri aims to develop the Uri-Boniyar tourism circuit and homestays to promote border tourism.

He said that this new initiative would ensure greater engagement and inclusion of youth in the cooperative movement in J&K.
Sinha said the Unnati Behan programme would focus on women's empowerment and train them to sell and develop various products by cooperatives.
He said it would also accelerate the administration’s efforts to address gender equality in cooperative movement.

The LG reiterated the commitment of the J&K administration to explore more avenues for cooperatives in diverse sectors and extend its benefits to the population living in rural areas.
The other projects launched and inaugurated by him on Tuesday are the computerisation of 537 PACS; dashboards for cooperative banks and societies; a website for seven cooperative super bazaars; an apple pulping unit plant at Wagoora under Unnati Multistate Cooperatives, and Global Milk and Food Processing Unit Bari Brahmana; smart classrooms and science labs for several cooperative schools.
Sinha laid the foundation stone for 60 works under CAPEX 2023-24 worth Rs 13.45 crore and also dedicated 21 completed projects under CAPEX 2022-23 worth Rs 4.54 crore to the people.

He also felicitated the members of cooperative societies and released the Cooperative Department’s compendium.
Advisor to LG, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar; Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta; CGM NBARAD, Bhallamudi Sridhar; and Secretary Cooperatives Department, Yasha Mudgal were also present on the occasion.