The Government of India is strengthening digital governance in the cooperative sector in Odisha through the rollout of integrated digital platforms, capacity building initiatives and financial support under national cooperative modernization programmes.
The integrated Registrar of Cooperative Societies digital portal was launched by the Home and Cooperation Minister and became operational on 6 March 2026. The portal is designed to streamline administrative processes, improve transparency and enhance the efficiency of cooperative institutions through digital integration.
As part of the ongoing modernization efforts, the development of application programming interfaces for integration with the National Cooperative Database is currently underway. All cooperative societies in Odisha have already been onboarded on the National Cooperative Database portal, enabling improved data management and monitoring across the cooperative ecosystem.
The digital transformation initiative is being implemented under the Centrally Sponsored Project titled Strengthening of Cooperatives through Information Technology. The project includes the computerization of offices of Registrars of Cooperative Societies in states and union territories across the country.
Under this initiative, the Government of India has allocated approximately 2.20 crore rupees to Odisha. Of this amount, around 1.49 crore rupees have been released so far. The state has utilized approximately 0.61 crore rupees for project activities, including the development of software systems required for digital operations.
Another major component of cooperative modernization is the computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies. Under the Primary Agricultural Credit Society Computerization Project, Odisha has been allocated approximately 36.14 crore rupees. Out of this allocation, about 18.07 crore rupees have already been released by the central government.
The state has fully utilized the funds released so far under this programme. The initiative is intended to modernize credit delivery systems in rural areas, improve operational transparency and strengthen financial services provided through cooperative institutions.
Officials noted that Odisha is currently not included in the Agriculture and Rural Development Banks Computerization Project, which is another national initiative aimed at digitizing cooperative banking infrastructure.
At present, the Ministry of Cooperation has not received any proposal to strengthen Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, dairy cooperatives or tribal cooperatives in Kandhamal district through artificial intelligence enabled governance systems.
However, the Odisha government has undertaken steps to improve digital capacity among cooperative staff. The state has signed a memorandum of understanding with Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited to provide basic computer literacy and artificial intelligence training to staff members of cooperative institutions.
Under this programme, employees of 2711 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and Large Area Multi Purpose Cooperative Societies are receiving training. Staff members of all 24 Large Area Multi Purpose Cooperative Societies in Kandhamal district are also included in the training initiative.
Capacity building programmes for cooperative institutions are also conducted by the National Council for Cooperative Training, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Cooperation. These training programmes are aimed at improving managerial skills, governance practices and operational capabilities across cooperative sectors.
Although the National Council for Cooperative Training does not maintain district level records of training activities, data from its regional institute in Odisha indicates substantial outreach. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, the Institute of Cooperative Management in Bhubaneswar has conducted 1049 capacity building programmes and trained 58,773 participants across various cooperative sectors as of 31 January 2026.
Officials stated that the digital transformation initiatives, combined with training and infrastructure development, are expected to improve governance, transparency and service delivery within the cooperative sector in Odisha while strengthening the role of cooperatives in rural development and financial inclusion.
