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The Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) will soon start providing services like the one offered by Common Service Centres (CSC).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of this effect was signed between the Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited. The MoU was signed in the presence of Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home and Cooperation, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology. BL Verma, Minister of State for Cooperation, Gyanesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, and other officials were present on the occasion.
On this occasion, Shah said that PACS are the soul of cooperatives and making them multipurpose as providers of about 20 services will increase employment opportunities in rural areas.
Highlighting the role and contribution of PACS in rural and agricultural development, Shah described the agreement as a “win-win” situation for all.
This will not only help in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘Sahkar Se Samridhi’ and making cooperatives the backbone of rural development, but will also strengthen both cooperatives and farmers, Shah said.
Shah also said that this move will help in advancing the concept of Common Service Centres (CSC) to the smallest unit of the country very easily.
Shah observed that about 50 percent of the country’s population is associated with cooperatives in one way or the other.
He stated that making PACS viable was the biggest problem in front of the cooperative sector, and today a new beginning has been made by adding many new dimensions to the functioning of PACS.
The PACS will now be able to undertake 20 different activities including water distribution, storage, Bank Mitra. He said that the first and foremost task is to make the services provided by the Common Service Centres available to the rural population through PACS.
In a statement, the Cooperative Ministry said, “The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that as per the agreement signed today, PACS will now be able to function as Common Service Centres, along with this, more than 300 services will be made available to the rural population including 13 crore farmer members of PACS. It will increase the business activities of PACS and help them to become self-sustaining economic entities,”
As per the statement, Shah said that with this initiative PACS will be able to provide all the services listed on the Digital Seva Portal of CSC scheme to citizens, including banking, insurance, Aadhaar enrolment/update, legal services, agri-inputs like farm equipment, PAN card , IRCTC, Rail, Bus, and Air ticket related services, etc. He said that the national software being developed under the ongoing Centrally-Sponsored Scheme of PACS computerization will also be used for PACS to function as CSCs, which will be a big achievement, the statement added
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