Press Information Bureau

“For India, Co-operatives are the basis of culture, a way of life.

India sees a huge role of co-operatives in its future growth.”

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Key Takeaways

• India has over 8.44 lakh cooperatives across 30 sectors, driving rural credit, employment, and economic empowerment.
• Proposals for computerization of 73,492 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have been sanctioned and 59,920 PACS onboarded to a unified ERP platform as of July 22, 2025, for transforming cooperatives into efficient, digital, and disaster-resilient institutions.
• 23,173 new multipurpose PACS, Dairy & Fishery cooperatives have been registered by July 22, 2025 to deliver diverse rural services from one platform.
• On GeM, 667 cooperative societies have been registered as buyers and 2,986 transactions have taken place by cooperative societies by March 31, 2025, amounting to Rs 319.02 crore.
• National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) has onboarded 8,863 PACS/cooperatives, successfully exporting agricultural commodities valued at Rs. 5,239.5 crore to 27 countries.

At present, India has more than 8.44 lakh cooperative societies spanning 30 sectors, including credit, housing, marketing, dairy, fisheries, and more—functioning as essential instruments for rural credit, self-employment, and collective economic strength.

The momentum of growth is visible even among children in Gujarat. The Bal Gopal Savings and Credit Cooperative Society, based in Sabarkantha, is India’s only cooperative exclusively for children aged 0–18. Through this unique “Baal Bachat Sanskar” model, children are given saving boxes, and the amounts collected each month are deposited into their bank accounts at 6% annual interest. As of March 2024, 19,020 child members from 335 villages have saved ₹17.47 crore. The cooperative also extends self-guaranteed loan to the guardian of a member child and loan against property for child’s higher education. A total of 1,070 children's guardians have been given loans and a total of 5,370 children have been financially counselled.

In Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, the Arakandanallur PACCS offers a powerful example of digital preparedness. When devastating floods destroyed its physical infrastructure and paper records, the society’s prior adoption of PACS computerisation and cloud-based storage enabled swift recovery. Staff accessed member and transaction data remotely, and services resumed quickly, with minimal disruption. This case has since become a model for disaster-resilient cooperative design. Similar is the case of the Kharsai Vividha Karyakari Society in Maharashtra. Burdened earlier by inefficiencies and paper-based accounting, it adopted full-scale ERP systems under the PACS computerisation program. Since then, its performance has improved across all metrics—accuracy, transparency, speed, and member satisfaction. It now stands as a textbook case of how cooperatives can thrive in the digital age.

The vision is clear: one cooperative in every village, functioning as a multi-service hub.

Moving from the digital to the sustainable, the Dhondi Solar Energy Producer Cooperative Society in Gujarat’s Kheda district is a notable example. Registered in collaboration with Tata Consulting and IWMI, it is India's first cooperative solar energy society. Solar panels have been installed in the fields of 9 out of 12 farmer-members to irrigate their land using solar power, and sell surplus energy to the state grid. In two years, they’ve earned ₹8 lakh through green energy, reducing dependence on diesel and promoting sustainable agriculture.

The Madhusudankati Agricultural Credit Society (SKUS) has gone from basic agri-credit to becoming a full-service multipurpose PACS. It extends Kisan Credit Card and Self-Help Group loans, operates as a retail and wholesale dealer of fertilisers and pesticides—including IFFCO and BENFED products. The Society also runs a Custom Hiring Centre, Rural Water Project, Agricultural Produce Procurement Centre, and consumer goods stores. In addition to its economic activities, it actively contributes to social welfare by organising health camps and operating a medical centre, children’s park, and community centre. Similarly, the Murakata Samabay Krishi Unnayan Samity (SKUS) began with 45 members and had grown to 1,603 members by 2022. Initially functioning as a non-deposit credit society, it now offers comprehensive banking services, including deposit facilities. The society provides Custom Hiring Centre services to local farmers at affordable rates. Covering mostly forested and inhabited by economically weaker sections, it primarily serves a farming-based community. Previously limited to single-crop cultivation, local farmers now benefit from increased access to KCC loans, crop insurance, and affordable harvesting services, enabling year-round cultivation.

In Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district, the Gold MPCS Limited stands out for its comprehensive rural services. It provides crop loans, insurance, PM Surya Ghar scheme facilitation, and acts as a Common Service Centre (CSC). In FY 2023–24, the CSC of this society completed 641 transactions, while in FY 2024–25 (till November 11, 2024), it recorded 1,852 transactions, reflecting its growing popularity and usefulness. In the last six months, transactions worth ₹9.16 lakh were carried out through the CSC—helping citizens with PAN card generation, insurance, and bill payments. Similarly, in Kishtwar (J&K), the Atholi Multipurpose Cooperative Society acts as a lifeline for the local community. Operating under model bylaws, the society runs a Jan Aushadhi Kendra and provides CSC services and nutritional supplies to Anganwadi centres. In FY 2024–25, its business turnover was ₹18.66 lakh, reflecting its growing commercial success and influence in the community.