BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today said that the cooperative movement will have to be strengthened to take development to the grassroots level.
Addressing the state level extended cooperative conference here, the chief minister said cooperative institutions will have to be made more transparent, accountable and active to help farmers, economically weaker sections of people, weavers, fishermen, workers, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people.
Stating that cooperative movement is a medium for providing livelihood support to millions of people in Odisha, Naveen said financial and social security of farmers can only be possible through cooperative institutions. However, to achieve these goals these institutions will have to be made more transparent and corruption free, he said.
Stating that Odisha has played a lead role in the implementation of Vaidyanathan committee recommendations, the chief minister said basing on these guidelines elections to all cooperative institutions have been completed in the state. Naveen asked the elected representatives to work with sympathetic attitude towards the poorest of the poor to make the cooperative movement successful.
Addressing the conference, former minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, convenor of the BJD cooperative cell, said a strong cooperative movement can ensure successful implementation of all welfare programmes launched by the state government for the benefit of the poor. Agriculture minister Damodar Rout, minister for cooperation Surya Narayan Patro, minister of state for handlooms, minister for women and child development Prafulla Samal and textiles and handicrafts Snehangini Chhuria also addressed the conference.
It was decided that cooperative cells will be constituted at the district level within two months and at the block level by November end. Extended cooperative conferences will be organised at district and block levels from November 14 to December 14 to make people aware about the cooperative movement in the state.