New Delhi, Apr 13 (UNI) Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, on Sunday said Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) which previously offered only short-term agricultural loans, and earned merely about half a percent income, are now providing over 20 types of services and the new reforms will also increase their income.
Addressing the State Level Cooperative Conference in Bhopal, he said, "Today PACS have been allowed to provide services like Jan Aushadhi Kendra, water distribution, common service centres."
He said that more than 300 schemes are available to the people on PACS computers. One does not need to go out of the village to get railway tickets, electricity bills, water bills, birth and death certificates, all these facilities are now available in PACS.
Shah informed that many PACS have earned income from these services. PACS can now also become fertilizer dealers, start petrol pumps, distribute cooking gas and also manage the 'Har Ghar Nal' scheme.
The Minister said that since the formation of the Cooperation Ministry, there has been a significant change in the cooperative sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now this sector is moving forward rapidly.
He said the Ministry of Cooperation first worked on creating model by-laws for PACS and sent it to the state governments for approval. Today the whole of India has accepted these model by-laws.
Expressing gratitude to the states for accepting the model by-laws, Shah said that this step has brought new life to the cooperative sector. Unless PACS is strengthened, the three-tier cooperative structure cannot be strengthened.
Shah said, "In our Constitution, except for multi-state cooperatives, all cooperatives are a state subject. No initiative was ever taken to make laws according to the rapidly changing conditions in the country. Keeping in mind the geographical conditions, rainfall conditions, rural development, agricultural development and animal husbandry dimensions of each state, no thought was ever given at the national level."
No thought was ever given, because there was no Cooperation Ministry at the national level, he stressed.
Shah said that under the new by-laws, work was done to create Multi Purpose PACS (MPACS) by merging PACS, dairy cooperative societies and fishery cooperative societies. The central government has computerized all the PACS in the country at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore. Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the country in computerization of PACS.
Now, the District Cooperative Banks and State Cooperative Banks are connected to NABARD due to computer network. Along with this, transparency has also come in the field of cooperation due to the arrangement of online audit.
Shah said that three new national level cooperative societies have been formed. National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL) was established to sell the farmers' produce in the global market and National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL) was established with the objective of getting farmers a higher price for their organic produce.
He said that both these institutions will become bigger than Amul and other institutions in the next 20 years. A national cooperative institution named Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) has been formed for the conservation and promotion of India's sweet seeds and non-hybrid seeds.
He said that earlier only big farmers could do seed farming, but now even farmers with a landholding of 2.5 acres are being given an opportunity.
He claimed that three multi-state cooperatives created by the Modi government - NCEL, NCOL and BBSSL - are providing farmers a fair price for their produce, a platform for export and profits are reaching directly to their bank accounts.
The Minister said that an MoU has been signed today between the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Madhya Pradesh Cooperative Dairy Federation (MPCDF).
He said that currently, five and a half crore litres of milk is produced in Madhya Pradesh, which is nine percent of the total milk production in the country. The share of cooperative dairies in this is less than one percent. This percentage will increase due to the contract between Madhya Pradesh and the National Dairy Development Board.
He said, "When a farmer goes to sell his milk in the open market, he is exploited. Our aim is to quickly connect every farmer of every village with the cooperative dairy, and also make such arrangements that cheese, curd, buttermilk, etc., are made from milk and sold and the farmer gets the profit."
He said that in the coming days, Madhya Pradesh has to expand the primary dairy, increase milk collection, provide good fodder to the animals, and improve their breed so that every animal gives more milk. A processing unit is also to be set up to process the milk and sell it with more profit.
Shah said that Madhya Pradesh Cooperative Dairy Federation (MPCDF) will have to work on policy making and branding to ensure quality check and weekly payment to farmers. NDDB and MPCDF should work aggressively so that dairy reaches at least 50 percent villages and farmers benefit from it.
For this, if finance is needed, National Cooperative Development Corporation of Government of India will definitely help, he assured.
He said that farmers should get 100 percent benefit of their milk production, only then milk production will increase.
He said that the Modi government, in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh government, is committed to take every possible step for the welfare of the farmers of the state.
Shah said that now there is good governance in Madhya Pradesh. During the time of the opposition government, the cooperative sector had collapsed here. Now is the golden opportunity to revive the cooperative sector.
The people of Madhya Pradesh should take advantage of this opportunity, he added.
UNI RBE SS