Govt launches 10k agri cooperatives, aims for 200k target in 5 yrs: Shah

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched 10,000 new multi-purpose Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) on Wednesday and asserted that the government will achieve its target of establishing 2 lakh such societies before the five-year timeline.

Addressing the launch event, Shah said prosperity through cooperation cannot be achieved unless cooperatives function effectively at the panchayat level.

"We have kept a target of setting up 2 lakh PACS in five years. I want to tell you that we will establish 2 lakh PACS before five years. In three months, we established 10,000 new PACS," the minister said.

The initiative will be rolled out in two phases, with NABARD establishing 32,750 new M-PACS in the first phase, while NDDB will set up 56,500 dairy cooperatives and NFDB 6,000 fishery cooperatives.

In the second phase, NABARD will create 45,000 M-PACS, NDDB will establish 46,000 dairy cooperatives and NFDB 5,500 fishery cooperatives. State governments will form about 25,000 new cooperatives, he added.

Shah also released standard operating procedures (SOP) for the liquidation of defunct PACS, which will enable the setting up of new societies in 15,000 villages.

Under current norms, a second PACS cannot be established in villages where one already exists unless declared defunct.

The minister distributed registration certificates, micro ATMs and RuPay Kisan Credit Cards to the newly established cooperative societies.

Shah also highlighted the importance of digitalisation in the sector, noting that the government has already computerised existing PACS and integrated them with 32 different initiatives.

However, he stressed that technology alone is not enough.

"We have computerised, given software and started different schemes. However, cooperatives cannot operate, if there is no trained manpower," he said, urging societies to utilise the new training module.

So far, 11,695 PACS have registered under new model laws, he added.

The minister also recalled the contribution made to the cooperative sector on the 100th birth anniversary of late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He added that the 97th Amendment to the Constitution was brought during Vajpayee's regime to give a push to the cooperative sector.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar, and senior government officials were present at the event.