Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi presented future plans for the cooperative sector to the House during a special session of the Assembly. He stated that Public Facilitation Centers and Kisan Samriddhi Centers will be opened in 670 Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (MPACCs), and there are plans to establish Jan Aushadhi Centers at 65 locations. Joshi also stated that under the Food Storage Scheme, warehouses with a minimum capacity of 50 to 1000 metric tons will be constructed in as many MPACCs as possible. Farm machinery banks will also be established at all Gram Panchayat levels in the state within three years. Summer paddy will be replaced by maize and other alternative crops by 2027. Through AgriStack, farmers and crops will be digitized by 2027. To protect crops from wild animals, various schemes will provide protection through fencing and local cooperation over the next five years. Considering the natural and medicinal qualities of products produced in the mountainous region of Uttarakhand, exports will be promoted with certification.
20 Percent Increase in Women’s Property Ownership
Cabinet Minister Joshi stated that youth-led livestock enterprises will be doubled and women’s property ownership will be increased by 20 percent. To promote entrepreneurship under the Uttarakhand Poultry Policy Development, capital expenditure benefits will be provided for loans at a 40 percent subsidy for hilly areas and a 30 percent subsidy for plain areas. Nine new and additional model veterinary hospitals will be established in the state. Infectious diseases like FMD and PPR will be eradicated by 2030.
Cooperative Banks to be Connected to Digital Banking
Joshi informed the House that digital banking, internet banking, and UPI services will be implemented in state and district cooperative banks. The country’s first cooperative university, the Tribhuvan Cooperative Complex, will be established in Uttarakhand.
Skill Development for Soldiers and Their Families
Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi stated that the government is also paying special attention to skill development and employment for soldiers and their families. Training and subsidized loans are being provided to veterans and widows of veterans in eco-tourism, organic farming, horticulture, poultry farming, and technical professions.
