Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday virtually addressed the inaugural session of the Shri Laxmanrao Inamdar Second Cooperative Leadership Training Programme, organised by Sahakar Bharati Uttarakhand at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, from the Chief Minister’s residence. Paying tribute to Sahakar Bharati founder Shri Laxmanrao Inamdar on his birth anniversary, CM Dhami said such training programmes would play an important role in strengthening the rural economy by empowering the cooperative sector. He said, “Strong leadership will strengthen M-PACS, strong M-PACS will strengthen villages, and strong villages will make Uttarakhand prosperous.” The Chief Minister said several important initiatives aimed at giving a new direction to the cooperative movement had been launched from Pantnagar, the land of knowledge. The launch of the Sahakar Granth, the Devbhoomi Sarathi initiative of the State Cooperative Federation, new courses in the cooperative sector, a social media reels campaign to connect youth with cooperatives, and the M-PACS leadership training programme would give fresh momentum to the cooperative sector, he said. CM Dhami said the state government is committed to taking Uttarakhand rapidly forward towards the vision of “Samriddhi through Cooperatives”. He said cooperatives can serve as an effective means of addressing several challenges faced by the hill state, including migration, strengthening mountain agriculture, providing markets for local products and boosting the rural economy. He said Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) are an important pillar of the state’s cooperative system and are being strengthened as M-PACS to make them more capable and effective in line with changing requirements. The state government is working to provide better facilities to farmers through M-PACS, create new opportunities for youth and strengthen rural areas economically, he added. The Chief Minister said skilled and visionary leadership is essential to make M-PACS more effective, and the leadership training programme has been launched with this objective. Training, he said, is not merely a means of enhancing knowledge but also a powerful tool for developing new perspectives, approaches and direction among leaders. CM Dhami said connecting farmers, youth and women with the cooperative movement is a priority of the state government. The government is working to make cooperatives not merely limited to societies, but an effective instrument of public participation and economic empowerment, he said. He called upon the representatives participating in the training programme to further strengthen the spirit of cooperation in their respective areas and encourage more people to join the movement. He said all stakeholders must work together to make cooperatives a people’s movement, strengthen villages, create opportunities for youth and enhance the economic strength of farmers.

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