Union Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Murlidhar Mohol today interacted with more than 200 representatives of 100 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) from 13 states of the country, who have been invited for 76th Republic Day as special guests in New Delhi. The Secretary of Ministry of Cooperation Shri Ashish Kumar Bhutani and other senior officials of the Ministry were present on the occasion. Invitation to PACS representatives as special guests in the Republic Day parade underlines their important role in rural development and also makes PACS a hub of not only financial activities but also community welfare.

The interaction programme was attended by the PACS representatives from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The computerisation of PACS in these states is progressing effectively and their respective PACS officials are reaping the benefits of digitisation.

The Ministry of Cooperation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, is committed to transform cooperatives into multi-purpose institutions. The Government of India, in collaboration with other stakeholders like NABARD, State Governments and Cooperative Banks, is empowering PACS to realize Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. This initiative is a part of the Centrally Sponsored Project of ‘Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies’ which aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and profitability of PACS across the country. The project aims to computerize 67,930 PACS to improve access to financial services like faster loan disbursement, Direct Benefit Transfer and advanced banking services as well as to provide non-financial services like grain storage, Common Service Centres and Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Digitization of PACS is a vital step towards development of rural India, it has improved access to financial services and promoted transparency and efficiency.

Strengthening of PACS will empower rural communities and realize the Indian vision of inclusive development. The invitation extended to PACS representatives for the Republic Day parade underlines their important role in rural development.

****

Raj Kumar / Vivek Vaibhav / Priyabhanshu / Pankaj