Patna: Bihar’s cooperative department has launched a statewide training and study tour programme aimed at strengthening primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), with the state government saying the initiative will improve governance, transparency and income generation in the rural cooperative sector.
The programme was inaugurated on Monday by the state’s cooperation minister, Dr Pramod Kumar, who flagged off the first batch of 25 PACS presidents and managers from Patna district. The group departed from the Deep Narayan Singh Regional Cooperative Management Institute for Telhara PACS in Ekangarasrai block of Nalanda district.
Senior officials, including the cooperative department secretary, Dharmendra Singh, the registrar of cooperative societies, Rajneesh Kumar Singh, and other department representatives, were present at the launch event.
According to the department, the objective of the tour-cum-training programme is to “qualitatively enhance” the efficiency of PACS presidents and managers by exposing them to successful and diversified cooperative models across the state. The government said selected PACS included in the tour are operating multiple business activities and are considered models for replication.
Addressing participants, Kumar said the state government was committed to making the cooperative sector “strong, self-reliant and competitive”. He said that by studying successful PACS, other societies would be encouraged to diversify their operations, adopt innovative practices and improve services to farmers. “Cooperatives are not just institutions but a strong foundation of the rural economy,” he said, adding that the exchange of best practices would make PACS more transparent, accountable and result-oriented.
The initiative, which began on February 16, is being rolled out simultaneously across districts. On the first day, 25 PACS representatives from Jamui district were sent to Manikpur PACS in Munger district. Another 25 from Purnia district travelled to Kutaha PACS in Araria district. Representatives from East Champaran visited West Champaran, while presidents from Bhagalpur district toured developed PACS in Banka district.
The department said the programme will provide practical training in leadership, organisational management, financial and human resource management, communication skills, contemporary legal provisions and project management. Participants will be required to implement the “best practices” observed during the tours in their respective societies.
Officials said the state expects the initiative to increase annual income of PACS, expand business activities and ensure quicker and improved services for farmers. The government described the programme as a step towards capacity building, quality improvement and sustainable development in Bihar’s cooperative sector.
