Odisha Launches Large-Scale IT Training Programme for 5,422 PACS, LAMPCS Officials

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has launched a statewide digital skill enhancement programme for officials of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and Large Area Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPCS), marking a major step towards modernising the State’s cooperative sector.

The IT Skill Enhancement Training Programme through OS-CIT was formally inaugurated by Cooperation, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Pradeep Bal Samant at the State Convention Centre, Lok Seva Bhawan, on Thursday. Officials from PACS and LAMPCS across the State joined the launch virtually from their respective authorised learning centres.

The programme is being implemented by Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited (OKCL) in collaboration with the Cooperation Department. Under the initiative, 5,422 officials from 2,711 PACS and LAMPCS will receive training, with two officials from each cooperative institution enrolled in the programme.

Training will be conducted through 540 OKCL-authorised learning centres (ALCs) across Odisha, allowing officials to access the programme from centres located close to their respective areas. The registration process has already been completed, with formal training commencing from Thursday.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of the State Government’s ongoing efforts to digitise and modernise the cooperative sector. These include the implementation of National Level PACS Software (NLPS)/ERP-based digital transformation of PACS, computerisation of the offices of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and digitisation of records maintained by cooperative offices.

The OS-CIT programme is designed to equip PACS and LAMPCS officials with basic computer knowledge, digital work processes and practical skills required to use various IT tools in their day-to-day operations.

A dedicated module on NLPS ERP has also been included in the curriculum. Through the module, PACS officials will gain an understanding of the ERP-based system that they are expected to use as the digital transformation of cooperative institutions progresses.

The government expects the training to improve the speed, transparency and efficiency of routine operations in cooperative institutions while enabling officials to adapt more effectively to technology-driven workflows.

With more than 5,400 officials being trained simultaneously across 2,700-plus cooperative institutions, the programme is being positioned as one of the largest State-level digital skill enhancement initiatives for PACS and LAMPCS officials in the country.

Officials said Odisha’s experience with the programme could potentially provide a model for other States seeking to build digital capacity among grassroots cooperative institutions. The learnings from its implementation could also support similar large-scale initiatives elsewhere in the country.

The programme is expected to complement the broader digital transformation of PACS and strengthen their ability to deliver technology-enabled services to farmers and rural communities.

Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Cooperation Department, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil; Registrar of Cooperative Societies Manish Agarwal; Additional Registrar of Cooperative Societies Bhaktabandhu Sahu; OKCL Managing Director Dr Manoranjan Puthal and senior officials from various departments attended the inaugural programme.

The initiative is guided by a broader vision of strengthening cooperatives through technology—moving from technology to efficiency, efficiency to empowerment, and empowered cooperatives to empowered farmers.