Arunachal CM Khandu attends golden jubilee celebrations of APSCU; highlights vital role of cooperatives

Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], November 21 (ANI): The Arunachal Pradesh State Cooperative Union (APSCU) recently concluded its weeklong Golden Jubilee celebrations to mark 50 years of the cooperative movement in the state.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu graced the historic occasion as the chief guest on Thursday and extended warm greetings to all members, functionaries, and stakeholders of APSCU for their dedicated service to the cooperative sector since its inception in 1975.
The Chief Minister highlighted the remarkable journey of APSCU, originating in 1969 during the NEFA era and evolving today into a network of 1,449 cooperative societies with over 2.2 lakh members engaged across agriculture, handloom, dairy, artisanal sectors, and other rural enterprises. He acknowledged the vital role cooperatives have played in transforming livelihoods, especially in remote regions where institutional support was earlier limited.
CM Khandu also placed on record the state government's appreciation for the unprecedented 27-district revival tour undertaken by the APSCU Chairman and his team between December 2024 and April 2025. During that time, they interacted with more than 87,500 cooperative members and 1,500 LAMPS/PACS units.
The tour revealed several critical gaps, including a lack of awareness of cooperative principles, inadequate infrastructure in 26 district unions, and the absence of cooperative banking in many areas, according to an official statement.
Calling the Golden Jubilee "a turning point," the Chief Minister assured comprehensive Government support for the revitalisation of the cooperative movement.
According to the statement, he announced that the State Government will work closely with APSCU to implement key reforms and infrastructure development. However, with the model code of conduct for the local body elections in force, Khandu refrained from making any public announcements.
He, however, assured that the requests made in a memorandum submitted by the Union will be positively taken up by the government once the elections are over.
He emphasised that strengthening cooperatives is central to achieving Atma Nirbhar Arunachal, and that APSCU must evolve into an autonomous and professional apex institution capable of guiding policies, ensuring transparency, empowering women and youth, and creating sustainable rural wealth. For this to happen, he called for proper training at all levels, market research, and the sincerity of the members.
Informing about the High Level Task Force on attaining self-reliance in milk, egg, fish, and meat products in the North East (under DoNER), which heads, the Chief Minister said that a robust five-year plan is under process with targets set till 2030.
"The role of cooperative societies would be significant for achieving the goal of self-reliance in these products," CM Khandu said.
The Chief Minister thanked all past and present leaders of APSCU, District Cooperative Unions, LAMPS, PACS, employees, farmers, artisans, SHGs, and entrepreneurs for their contribution to sustaining the cooperative movement over the past five decades.
He added, "The coming years must witness APSCU emerging as a robust, modern, and people-centric institution. With renewed policies and infrastructure, I am confident that APSCU will lead Arunachal Pradesh into a new era of cooperative-led growth." (ANI)