(a)        The Government on 15.2.2023, approved the Plan for strengthening cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots. As on 15.11.2025, a total of 30,083 new PACS, Dairy and Fishery Cooperative Societies have been registered and 15,793 Dairy and Fisheries Cooperative Societies have been strengthened across the country under this plan, the details of which are enclosed at Annexure-I and II respectively. So far, 2,55,881 Gram Panchayats (GPs) are covered by PACS; 87,159 GPs are covered by Dairy Cooperative Societies; and 29,964 GPs are covered by Fishery Cooperative Societies.

(b)        In order to link PACSs with central schemes like PM-KISAN, PMKSK, and PMBJK, Government, in consultation with all the stakeholders, including States/ UTs, National Level Federations, State Cooperative Banks (StCBs), District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), etc., has prepared and circulated Model Byelaws for PACS to all the States/ UTs, which enable PACS to undertake more than 25 business activities, improve governance, transparency and accountability in their operations. Ministry of Cooperation has taken multiple measures to integrate Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with PM-KISAN and other Central schemes like PMKSK, and PMBJK; with a view to making PACS local-level service delivery hubs for farmers. These include:

1.  ERP-enabled Convergence with Farmer Databases: The Centrally Sponsored Project on Computerization of PACS provides a uniform ERP-based platform by integrating national portals such as PM-KISAN, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendra(PMKSK), interest subvention, fertiliser and seed distribution, PDS outlets, LPG/Petrol/Diesel dealerships, custom hiring, PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Common Service Centres, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY),  etc.

2.  Multi-Sectoral Scheme Linkages: PACS have also been enabled to participate in a range of Central schemes, including:

1. PACS as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSK) providing fertilizers, pesticides and various other agri inputs to farmers under one roof. So far, 38,330 PACS have been upgraded into PMKSKs.
2. PACS as Common Service Centers (CSCs) to deliver more than 300 e-services such as banking, insurance, electricity bill payments, health services, legal services, etc. to rural citizens; etc. So far, 51,183 PACS have started functioning as CSC.
3. PACS as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) to ensure availability of quality generic medicines to rural citizens at affordable prices. So far, 799 PACS have got Store Codes from PMBI and are ready to function as PMBJK.
4. PACS made eligible for Retail Petrol/ Diesel outlets: Government has allowed PACS to be included in the Combined Category 2 (CC2) for allotment of retail petrol/ diesel outlets.
5. PACS given permission to convert bulk consumer petrol pumps into retail outlets: The existing bulk consumer licensee PACS have been given a one-time option by Oil Marketing Companies to convert into retail outlets. As per information shared by OMCs, 117 wholesale consumer pump licensee PACS from 5 States have given consent for conversion into Retail Outlets, out of which 59 PACS have been commissioned by the OMCs.
6. PACS made eligible for LPG Distributorship for diversifying its activities: Government has now allowed PACS to apply for LPG Distributorships. This will give PACS an option to increase their economic activities and diversify their income stream.
7. PACS have been made eligible to carry out Operations & Maintenance (O&M) of piped water supply schemes in rural areas. As per information received from States/ UTs, 763 PACS have been identified/ selected by 11 States/ UTs to provide O&M services at Panchayat/ Village level.

(c)        To expand the scope of cooperative institutions into organic production and fisheries through institutions like NCOL and NCEL, the Ministry of Cooperation has taken several steps to strengthen the national-level institutions. National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) has been established as the apex multi-state cooperative for organic farming, now has 10,035 PACS/cooperative societies as members and provides end-to-end support including aggregation, certification, testing, processing, branding and export facilitation. NCOL markets products under the “Bharat Organics” brand, offering 28 certified organic products that are batch-tested for over 245 pesticides, and has signed partnership arrangements with various States for procurement, certification and cluster development. The National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) has been established as India’s dedicated cooperative export vehicle and now has 13,848 PACS/cooperatives as members, exporting 13.09 LMT of agricultural commodities worth Rs5,397 crore, while distributing a 20% dividend to member cooperatives during 2023–24. In fisheries, the Ministry has strengthened cooperative participation through the formation of new multipurpose cooperatives and the expansion of Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs). The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has supported this push by providing financial assistance for deep-sea fishing vessels, seafood processing infrastructure, and by initiating the conversion of 1,000 fisheries cooperatives into FFPOs with an approved outlay of Rs 280.65 crore. Collectively, these initiatives—supported by MoUs with States, integration with PACS networks, and the creation of export and organic-focused apex cooperatives—have created a comprehensive institutional framework that expands cooperative participation across organic agriculture, fisheries, value-added processing, and international markets.

(d)        To monitor schemes/ projects at the grassroots level for ensuring effective implementation and to ensure effective coordination and accountability in states, Ministry of Cooperation (MoC) has adopted a multi-layered approach to monitor schemes/ projects at the grassroots level for ensuring effective implementation and to ensure effective coordination and accountability in states, including Jharkhand. For this purpose, committees have been constituted at various levels—from the national level to the district level. These include:

1. Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) – Chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation;
2. National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) – Chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation;
3. State Cooperative Development Committee (SCDC) – Chaired by the Chief Secretary of the respective State/UT; and
4. District Cooperative Development Committee (DCDC) – Chaired by the District Collector of the respective district.

In addition to the above, a Joint Working Committee (JWC) is also being constituted by the States at the district level as a sub-committee of the DCDC. This committee comprises district-level officers of the concerned State departments and representatives of district-level federations/organizations. The JWC serves as the ground-level committee responsible for achieving targets related to the formation of new M-PACS, dairy cooperatives, and fisheries cooperatives.

Further, monthly State Review Meetings and bi-monthly Regional Review Meetings were conducted to track and assess the progress of the scheme. Furthermore, a Project Management Unit (PMU) has also been set up in the Ministry of Cooperation to facilitate coordination among all relevant stakeholders.

These efforts are supported by robust reporting mechanisms through the National Cooperative Database (NCD), ensuring transparency and accountability.

(e) Various steps have been taken by the Government to increase the income of farmers and make them self-reliant through PACS in Gram Panchayats.  To increase the viability of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and diversify their business activities to make them vibrant economic entities, Model Byelaws for PACS have been prepared to enable PACS to diversify their business activities by undertaking more than 25 business activities, including dairy, fishery, floriculture, setting up godowns, procurement of foodgrains, fertilizers,  LPG/CNG/Petrol/Diesel distributorship, short-term & long-term credit, custom common service centers,  etc. PACS have already been enabled to participate in a range of Central schemes the brief of which have already been provided at para (b) above.

Further, Government has approved a plan to create warehouses, custom hiring centers, primary processing units and other agri-infrastructure for grain storage at PACS level, through convergence of various Government of India (GOI) schemes, including Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME), etc. This will reduce wastage of food grains and transportation costs, enable farmers to realize better prices for their produce and meet various agricultural needs at the PACS level itself. Under the pilot project, construction of godowns in 11 PACS of 11 States has been completed. Further, under the Extended Pilot, more than 500 PACS across the country have been identified for the construction of godowns under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector.

 

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Annexure-I
Sr.No	States/UTs	No. of MPACS formed	No. of DCS formed	No. of FCS formed	Total*
1	Andaman And Nicobar Islands	1	1	11	13
2	Andhra Pradesh	-	895	2	897
3	Arunachal Pradesh	126	15	20	161
4	Assam	432	556	75	1,063
5	Bihar	56	4,460	2	4,518
6	Chhattisgarh	321	352	320	993
7	Goa	30	4	3	37
8	Gujarat	468	694	22	1,184
9	Haryana	30	150	6	186
10	Himachal Pradesh	102	666	6	774
11	Jammu And Kashmir	205	1,266	36	1,507
12	Jharkhand	44	238	144	426
13	Karnataka	233	933	42	1,208
14	Kerala	-	-	-	-
15	Ladakh	3	3	1	7
16	Lakshadweep	-	-	7	7
17	Madhya Pradesh	626	751	203	1,580
18	Maharashtra	180	1,065	151	1,396
19	Manipur	97	24	66	187
20	Meghalaya	237	16	8	261
21	Mizoram	91	2	2	95
22	Nagaland	24	4	18	46
23	Odisha	1,537	451	51	2,039
24	Puducherry	4	3	3	10
25	Punjab	-	453	41	494
26	Rajasthan	1,242	1,928	22	3,192
27	Sikkim	24	57	3	84
28	Tamil Nadu	28	806	25	859
29	Telangana	-	174	102	276
30	The DD & DNH	5	-	1	6
31	Tripura	274	1	14	289
32	Uttar Pradesh	857	3,915	376	5,148
33	Uttarakhand	601	256	119	976
34	West Bengal	23	138	3	164
35	Chandigarh	-	-	-	-
36	Delhi	-	-	-	-
		7,901	20,277	1,905	30,083
	*As on 15.11.2025

 

ANNEXURE-II

Sr.No	States/UTs	No. of DCS strengthened	No. of FCS strengthened	Total*
1	Andaman And Nicobar Islands	-	4	4
2	Andhra Pradesh	106	156	262
3	Arunachal Pradesh	-	2	2
4	Assam	192	63	255
5	Bihar	834	12	846
6	Chhattisgarh	-	217	217
7	Goa	-	3	3
8	Gujarat	3,956	21	3,977
9	Haryana	-	1	1
10	Himachal Pradesh	168	9	177
11	Jammu And Kashmir	756	1	757
12	Jharkhand	159	12	171
13	Karnataka	619	80	699
14	Kerala	379	45	424
15	Ladakh	-	-	-
16	Lakshadweep	-	-	-
17	Madhya Pradesh	97	163	260
18	Maharashtra	-	463	463
19	Manipur	-	155	155
20	Meghalaya	137	5	142
21	Mizoram	-	1	1
22	Nagaland	-	11	11
23	Odisha	209	-	209
24	Puducherry	-	-	-
25	Punjab	607	-	607
26	Rajasthan	1,001	-	1,001
27	Sikkim	251	1	252
28	Tamil Nadu	4,230	3	4,233
29	Telangana	175	224	399
30	The DD & DNH	-	-	-
31	Tripura	-	26	26
32	Uttar Pradesh	113	-	113
33	Uttarakhand	104	-	104
34	West Bengal	-	22	22
35	Chandigarh	-	-	-
36	Delhi	-	-	-
		14,093	1,700	15,793

* As on 15.11.2025

This information was given by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

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AK

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