Based on the information received from the State of Odisha, Directorate of Handicrafts under the administrative control of Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Odisha, the functioning of Handicraft Cooperative Societies (HCSs) of Odisha including the HCSs of Puri district is supervised time to time. An integrated RCS digital portal has been launched in Odisha. As per the National Cooperative Database (NCD), there are a total of 756 registered cooperative societies in the Puri district.

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) implements sector-specific schemes and focused financial products aligned with the evolving needs of the cooperative sector, including artisan cooperative societies across the country, including those in the Puri district of Odisha. Details of the Schemes of NCDC are enclosed at Annexure A.

The key measures undertaken to support and strengthen this artisan cooperatives are as under:

• Financial Assistance for Infrastructure & Marketing: NCDC provides financial assistance to eligible artisan cooperatives for infrastructure creation, value addition, processing, and marketing of artisan and handicraft products.
• Capacity Building & Entrepreneurship: Various training and awareness programmes are regularly conducted for artisans to facilitate entrepreneurship development, marketing support, and to improve their access to institutional finance.
• Promotion of Digital Literacy: To facilitate digital onboarding and modern business practices, digital literacy is integrated as an essential component of all training and capacity-building interventions.

These promotional and financial assistance schemes are available to all eligible artisan cooperative societies across the country, including Puri, subject to the fulfilment of the prescribed guidelines and eligibility criteria under the respective schemes. These provide opportunity to address and overcome, challenges.

As on 30.06.2026, NCDC has disbursed ₹ 3,352.03 crore for cooperative development in Odisha State. The details of disbursement during last five years in the State is provided at Annexure-B. As on 30.06.2026, NCDC has disbursed ₹3.78 Cr in Puri district during the last five years (since 01.04.2021). There are 17 HCSs functional in Puri district which are engaged in different handicrafts. Other artisans are sensitized on digital literacy and consolidation of required documents for their onboarding into e-commerce platforms through different training programmes and awareness camps.   Marketing assistance to handicraft artisans/ members of Handicrafts Cooperative Societies is provided through exhibitions/ fairs/ melas organized at District level/ State level and National level.

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Annexure-A

SCHEMES / ACTIVITIES ASSISTED BY NCDC

1) CORPORATION SPONSORED SCHEMES:

A)  ACTIVITIES ASSISTED:

NCDC provides financial assistance in the form of loans (both Term Loans and Investment Loans) and subsidy to the cooperative societies for their development.  The loan component is provided from out of NCDC’s own funds while the eligible subsidy is provided after dovetailing from other Central Sector Schemes. The list of activities assisted by NCDC is as under: -

1. Marketing:
2. Processing:
3. Storage:
4. Cold Chain:
5. Industrial:
6. Distribution of essential consumer articles through cooperatives:
7. Credit & Service Cooperatives/ Notified Services:
8. Cooperative Banking Unit:
9. Agricultural Services:
10. District Plan Schemes:
11. Weaker Section Cooperatives:
12. Assistance for Computerization of Cooperatives:
13. Promotional and Developmental programs.

B.   FOCUSSED PRODUCTS OF NCDC:

1. YUVA SAHAKAR - ­Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme: The scheme launched in the financial year 2019-20 aims at encouraging newly formed cooperative societies with new and/ or innovative ideas.

2. Ayushman Sahakar: The scheme launched in the financial year 2020-21 has a comprehensive approach to cover hospitals, healthcare, medical education, nursing education, paramedical education, health insurance and holistic health systems such as AYUSH.

3. NAndini Sahakar: The scheme is in operation since financial year
   2020-21, which aims to improve the socio-economic status of women and supports the entrepreneurial dynamism of women through women’s cooperatives. It converges critical inputs of women’s enterprise, business plan formulation, capacity development, credit and subsidy, and/ or interest subvention of other schemes.

4. DAIRY SAHAKAR: The scheme launched in the financial year 2021-22 is a cooperative dairy business focused framework of financial assistance for encouraging cooperatives to achieve higher outcomes in ESG (environmental, social, governance) linked activities. It includes the creation of infrastructure by cooperatives for new projects and modernization and/or expansion of existing projects.

5. DIGITAL SAHAKAR: The scheme is in operation since 2021-22 aligned with the principles of Digital India, NCDC has conceived a focused financial assistance framework for Digitally Empowered Cooperatives for handholding and credit linkage by NCDC, dovetailed with grant, subsidy, incentives, etc. from the Government of India / State / UT / agencies with the objective of cooperatives actively partaking in Digital India.

6. SWAYAM SHAKTI SAHAKAR YOJNA: The scheme launched in the financial year 2022-23 for providing NCDC's financial assistance to Agricultural Credit Cooperatives for providing loan/advances to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs).

7. DEERGHAVADHI KRISHAK PUNJI SAHAKAR YOJNA: The scheme launched in the financial year 2022-23 for extending NCDC's long-term financial assistance to Agricultural Credit Cooperatives towards their onward lending of long-term loans/advances for activities/commodities/services under the purview of NCDC.

8. SAHAKAR INNOVATION SCHEME: The scheme was launched in the financial year 2025-26 to provide grant assistance of up to ₹25 lakh to eligible cooperative societies for promoting innovation, adoption of new technologies, development of innovative products, services and business models, market linkages, and sustainability-oriented initiatives, thereby strengthening the cooperative sector and supporting emerging cooperatives with innovative and scalable ideas.

II    Other Central Schemes:

1. Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) sub scheme of Central Sector Integrated Scheme on Agriculture Marketing (CSISAM) for Storage and other than Storage Infrastructure-DAC&FW, MOA&FW Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (Training) - DAC&FW, MOA&FW
2. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) - DAC&FW, MOA&FW
3. Interest Subvention & Credit Guarantee through Financing Facility under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme - Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
4. Assistance for Boosting Seed Production component under Sub-Mission for Seed and Planting Material (SMSP) of National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET)
5. PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) – Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
6. PM Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY) – sub scheme under PMMSY by Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
7. PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME)- Ministry of Food Processing Industries
8. Scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) – Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare.
1. (i) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna (PMKSY) – Scheme for Food Processing and Value Addition - Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

(ii) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna (PMKSY) - Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure Scheme - Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

10. National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) - Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
11. National Livestock Mission (NLM) and Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) - Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

50. Re-aligned Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF),

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

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