Patna: The Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, in collaboration with NABARD and the Department of Cooperation, Bihar, organised a one-day regional workshop at the Deepnarayan Singh Cooperative Training Institute, Patna, to mark the International Year of Cooperatives. Officials from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha attended the event, which aimed to make Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) multipurpose, speed up computerisation, and review the progress of the world’s largest grain storage scheme.
Speaking online during the inaugural session, Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, said the workshop’s goal was to develop a detailed action plan for implementing three key initiatives — M-PACS, the food storage scheme, and PACS computerisation — while addressing challenges faced by states. He called for targeted efforts to increase membership, particularly among women, landless farmers, sharecroppers and workers, and urged states to reactivate inactive PACS. He also stressed the need for PACS to provide comprehensive rural services and modern facilities through cooperative banks.
NABARD Chairman K.B. Shaji commended states’ progress in constructing PACS warehouses, implementing computerisation, and diversifying PACS functions, pledging further support and technical assistance.
Dharmendra Singh, Secretary, Cooperative Department, Bihar, highlighted the importance of sharing successful practices among states to overcome implementation challenges. He also underlined the need to link cooperative societies with banks to improve access to services.
Joint Secretary Siddharth Nath Jain encouraged state representatives to share difficulties and propose solutions for membership growth, PACS computerisation and the food storage scheme.
Representing Bihar, Registrar Anshul Agarwal reported that 7,167 warehouses had been built, creating a storage capacity of 16.67 lakh metric tonnes. He said Bihar was advancing rapidly in PACS computerisation and promoting online membership drives, with cooperative banks expanding services through micro ATMs and new branches.
Officials from Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal also shared achievements, challenges and innovative practices from their states. The workshop concluded with a commitment from the Ministry of Cooperation and NABARD to provide full support for achieving scheme targets across all four states.
