The Ministry of Cooperation, in partnership with NABARD and Bihar’s Cooperation Department, held a regional workshop in Patna to advance three major initiatives, making Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) multipurpose, accelerating computerisation, and expanding the world’s largest grain storage scheme, local news outlets report.
Officials from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha attended. Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani urged states to expand PACS membership, especially among women, landless farmers and sharecroppers, and to revive inactive societies.
NABARD Chairman K.B. Shaji praised progress in warehouse construction, diversification and computerisation, promising continued support. Bihar’s Registrar Anshul Agarwal reported 7,167 warehouses with 16.67 lakh MT capacity, rapid computerisation, and banking outreach via micro ATMs and new branches.
State officials shared achievements and challenges, while Joint Secretary Siddharth Nath Jain stressed collaborative problem-solving. The workshop ended with a pledge by the Ministry and NABARD to fully back efforts to meet targets and strengthen cooperative networks across all four states.
