Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Centre’s ambitious PACS Computerisation Project is transforming Primary Agricultural Credit Societies into modern, technology-driven rural institutions, with membership and transactions witnessing significant growth.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said the project’s financial outlay has been enhanced from Rs 2,516 crore to Rs 2,925.39 crore to bring all functional PACS onto a common ERP-based software platform linked with State Cooperative Banks, District Central Cooperative Banks and NABARD.
He said 32 States and Union Territories have adopted or aligned their PACS bye-laws with the Model Bye-laws, enabling societies to undertake over 25 business activities.
The Minister highlighted that PACS membership increased by 4.38 lakh over the past year, while transactions surged from 15.54 crore to 42.98 crore, registering a 177% rise. During FY 2026-27, the Centre has released Rs 977.19 crore to States under the computerisation project.
Shah said the government is also promoting PACS diversification through CSCs, Janaushadhi Kendras, PM-KUSUM, White Revolution 2.0, grain storage infrastructure, digital integration, NCEL, NCOL and BBSSL to strengthen farmers’ incomes and rural cooperatives.
