Thousands of grassroots officials embrace digital tools for better governance
Odisha is taking a major leap toward digital empowerment within its grassroots agricultural networks. Union Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, officially inaugurated a massive capacity-building program in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. This statewide Odisha PACS IT Training aims to modernize Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies and Large Area Multipurpose Cooperative Societies.
More than 5,400 officials representing over 2,700 cooperative societies across all 314 blocks joined this initiative. While the main inaugural event took place at the Lokaseva Convention Hall Bhubaneswar, participants connected via authorized learning centers using a hybrid model. This massive turnout highlights the strong coordination of various districts and their commitment to modernizing the cooperative sector Odisha. The state's Cooperation Department teamed up with the Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited to execute this OKCL digital initiative.
During his address, Dr. Bhutani stressed that building digital skills at the grassroots level is crucial for better agricultural credit delivery and rural financial inclusion. He noted that equipping staff with these modern skills will vastly improve service quality, efficiency, and transparency. Shri Rajesh Prabhakar Patil echoed these sentiments in his introductory address, pointing out that digital competence is strictly necessary for operational accountability and accurate record maintenance. The LAMPCS officials training covers essential topics like artificial intelligence awareness, cybersecurity practices, basic digital literacy, and e-governance portals.
Several prominent dignitaries attended the launch, including Joint Secretary Shri Siddharth Jain, OMFED Managing Director Shri Vijay Amruta Kulange, and OCAC CEO Dr. Pradeep Kumar Raut. Dr. Manoranjan Puthal provided a detailed overview of the OS-CIT curriculum designed specifically to build confidence among the participants.
This strategic move is expected to streamline financial processes and ultimately enhance service delivery to farmers across Odisha blocks cooperative societies. Integrating technology into everyday governance ensures these rural institutions can meet modern operational demands. Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Shri Siddhartha Das, delivered the concluding remarks, while CS Sasmita Panda efficiently coordinated the smooth execution of the event.
