Bhubaneswar, Oct 8: In a major administrative reform, the Odisha government has announced the formation of a dedicated cadre for cooperative society secretaries.

Pradeep Bal Samanta, Minister of Cooperation, Govt of Odisha, stated that the move aims to streamline operations and improve transparency across the cooperative sector. Following the cadre formation, transfers of secretaries will be initiated to ensure better governance.

Currently, Odisha has 5,242 cooperative societies, with 4,252 secretaries actively serving. The Minister acknowledged the prevailing public perception of corruption in the cooperative department and emphasized that the cadre system will help eliminate such notions and restore trust.

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To gather public opinion and expert suggestions for the new cooperative policy, the government will organize five regional workshops across the state. These will be held on October 11, 14, 17, and 23 in Berhampur, Sambalpur, Balasore, and Koraput. The final workshop will take place in Bhubaneswar, where Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is expected to participate.

The workshops will include stakeholders from all political parties, legislators, ministers, and cooperative finance experts. Special sessions will be held for representatives from Khordha, Puri, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Angul, and Dhenkanal districts.

This initiative marks a significant step toward reforming Odisha’s cooperative sector, ensuring accountability, and promoting inclusive policy-making.