The Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh chaired the 3rd meeting of the State Cooperative Development Committee (SCDC) in Leh on February 13 to review the progress of cooperative institutions and discuss measures to further strengthen the cooperative sector across the Union Territory.

The meeting undertook a comprehensive review of the establishment of new Multi-Purpose Agriculture Cooperative Societies (M-PACS) and the expansion of cooperative institutions in Leh and Kargil districts.

Progress under Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) was also assessed. Proposals for setting up additional Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), were discussed to enhance access to institutional credit and strengthen grassroots-level financial inclusion.

A detailed review of PACS functioning as Common Service Centres (CSCs) was conducted, focusing on capacity building, operational challenges, low activation levels, and the need to improve service delivery and public outreach. The status of defunct PACS was also examined.

The Committee was informed about the revival of several non-functional societies in Kargil district and the formulation of a strategic action plan for the revival or liquidation of the remaining inactive societies to ensure optimal use of cooperative infrastructure.

Key sectoral challenges affecting cooperative institutions in Ladakh were also discussed, including inadequate cold storage and food processing infrastructure, limited market access for local and organic produce, dependence on glacial meltwater for irrigation, lack of modern irrigation systems, and limited access to credit.

Issues related to dairy development were reviewed in detail, covering procurement mechanisms, infrastructure support, financial assistance for dairy plant expansion, installation of bulk milk coolers, establishment of milk testing laboratories, and capacity building of farmers in scientific dairy practices.

The Chief Secretary emphasized promoting vermicompost through urban development cooperative societies and encouraged adoption of successful local cooperative models. He underscored the importance of collaboration with non-governmental organizations for effective implementation and directed concerned departments to design structured training programmes for dairy farmers and cooperative members. He also called for a comprehensive evaluation of existing PACS to identify best-performing societies and develop an integrated value chain model that can be replicated across the Union Territory.

Additionally, the proposal for establishing a separate State Cooperative Bank for the Union Territory of Ladakh was discussed in detail. The Committee examined the financial base, regulatory requirements, and the roadmap for obtaining statutory approvals and operational clearances.

The meeting was attended by Administrative Secretary Bhupesh Chaudhary; Deputy Commissioner Leh, Romil Singh Donk; Deputy Commissioner Kargil, Rakesh Kumar; Director Tourism, Tsering Palden; senior officials from concerned departments; and officers from NABARD who joined virtually.