A review meeting of the cooperative departmental schemes was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner cum Chairman of the District Cooperative Development Committee, Ananya Mittal. The meeting took place in the office room located in the Collectorate, where crucial discussions were held on making the district self-reliant in fisheries and milk production. Emphasis was placed on forming as many cooperative societies as possible at the block level. These societies are to be integrated with government welfare schemes to ensure farmers and animal husbandry workers have additional income sources apart from traditional farming. The district has been allocated targets for constructing 63 warehouses with 100 MT capacity and 8 warehouses with 500 MT capacity, along with the construction of 5 MT cold rooms within the financial year 2024-25. The Deputy Commissioner directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner and all Circle Officers to coordinate efforts to make land available for these projects.
The development of Lamps (Large Area Multipurpose Societies) into Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras was discussed. Baharagora Lamps has been selected for the first phase. Lamps are also undergoing computerization, and fertilizer licenses will be issued to operators to facilitate economic progress through the buying and selling of fertilizers. Currently, 45 licenses have been identified for issuance. Instructions were given to form Fishermen Cooperative Committees and Milk Producer Cooperative Committees across all blocks to support additional income streams for farmers and animal husbandry workers. A campaign is underway to associate Lamps with the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF), with 47 Lamps already completing the registration process.
Discussions also covered providing rooms to Lamps in Panchayat Bhawans, land availability for retail outlets for fruit and vegetable marketing in block headquarters, the Jharkhand State Crop Relief Scheme (JRFRY), and the construction of joint cooperative buildings. The Deputy Commissioner provided necessary guidelines to the officials for successful implementation of the discussed schemes. This strategic move aims to enhance the economic stability of the district through cooperative efforts in fisheries and milk production, aligning with the broader goal of making East Singhbhum self-reliant in these sectors. District Cooperative Officer Asha Toppo, District Agriculture Officer Deepak Kumar, District Animal Husbandry Officer Dr. Surendra Kumar, District Fisheries Officer Alka Panna, Assistant Registrar Cooperative Societies, and other related officials were present in the meeting.
