TFP Bureau, Raipur; August 25, 2024: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired a review meeting today in Raipur focused on the expansion of cooperatives across Chhattisgarh. During the meeting, Shah launched Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) in all 33 districts to operate as Water Committees, enhancing local governance and resource management.
In attendance were Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Arun Sao, Minister of Cooperation Shri Kedar Kashyap, and Secretary of the Union Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani.
As part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, Shah also planted a sapling under the “Peepal for People” program and inaugurated several state government development projects. In his address, Shah emphasized the formation of a cooperative society in every panchayat to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation). He encouraged the Chhattisgarh government to launch a new public dairy scheme aimed at tribal development, with PACS serving as multipurpose units, including dairy and fisheries cooperatives.
Shah noted that all 2058 PACS in Chhattisgarh have adopted the Model Bye-Laws, and he called for the use of the National Cooperative Database to identify dry areas for cooperative expansion. He urged the computerization of PACS, transforming them into Common Service Centers (CSCs) to ensure rural communities benefit from their activities.
Additionally, Shah proposed contracts between the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), and the state government to promote ethanol production, which could encourage maize cultivation. He assured that the central government would purchase maize from farmers at the Minimum Support Price, and he stressed the importance of 100% registration of PACS on the NAFED and NCCF portals for selling agricultural produce.
Shah also recommended mandatory account openings for all traders, PACS, and cooperative societies in District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs). He pointed out that while Chhattisgarh has four cooperative sugar mills, only one currently has an ethanol production plant. He directed the establishment of multi-feed ethanol production plants in the remaining three mills within six months, with central government support.
In a significant move for the state’s cooperative sector, Shah called for the creation of four new DCCBs in Chhattisgarh, noting the current total of six banks is insufficient for the state’s future cooperative expansion. He urged collaboration between the Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, and Cooperation departments of the state government to promote economic development among rural and tribal communities in Chhattisgarh.
