Chairing a review meeting on the expansion of cooperatives in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on Sunday, Union Home Minister and Cooperation Amit Shah launched the Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) in 33 districts to work as Water Committees in their respective districts.

Many dignitaries, including the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Arun Sao, Minister of Cooperation Kedar Kashyap and Secretary of the Union Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, were present on the occasion.

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As part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, the Union home minister planted saplings under “Peepal for People” programme and inaugurated various development works of the Chhattisgarh government.

In his address at the Cooperative Review Meeting, he said a cooperative society is being formed in every panchayat of the country to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”.

He said the Chhattisgarh government should come up with a new public dairy scheme with a focus on tribal development. The scheme should envisage PACS to work like a multi-purpose unit also catering to dairy and fisheries cooperative institutions.

Union Minister said all 2058 PACS of Chhattisgarh have adopted the Model Bye-Laws. The National Cooperative Database should be used to find the dry area in Chhattisgarh which will help in the expansion of cooperatives.

He stressed with computerisation, every PACS should be made a Common Service Center (CSC) so that the benefits of various activities done by PACS can reach the rural people.

Amit Shah said that there should be a contract between NCCF, NAFED, and the State for ethanol production so that farmers can be encouraged towards maize cultivation. The cost in maize cultivation is also low and all the maize of the farmers will be purchased by the central government at the Minimum Support Price. Shah said that 100% registration should be done by PACS on NAFED and NCCF portals for the sale of farmers’ agricultural produce.

Union minister of cooperation said it should be mandatory for every trader, PACS, and cooperative society of every market to open an account in the District Cooperative Central Bank.

Chhattisgarh has four cooperative sugar mills out of which only one mill has an ethanol production plant.

Shah said multi-feed ethanol production plants should be set up in the remaining 3 cooperative sugar mills within 6 months so that ethanol can be produced from maize and sugarcane. He said the Central government will help in this regard. He said that there is a need to promote the cultivation of maize and pulses in Chhattisgarh and for this, the State Agriculture Department should take the initiative.

Amit Shah said at present, there are a total of six District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) in 33 districts of Chhattisgarh, and keeping in mind the expansion of PACS in the state soon, at least four more DCCBs should be established.

He said the Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs and Cooperative departments of the State Government should work together under the Whole Government Approach for the economic development of rural and tribal people of Chhattisgarh.