Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has informed the Rajya Sabha that extensive training and capacity-building programmes implemented through the National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT) are significantly strengthening cooperative institutions across the country, with notable impact in Bihar.
Replying to a question in the Upper House, the Minister said that since the inception of the Ministry of Cooperation, NCCT and its network of Regional Institutes of Cooperative Management (RICMs) and Institutes of Cooperative Management (ICMs) have trained 9,82,787 participants through 15,919 training programmes nationwide. These initiatives are aimed at improving governance, transparency, member participation, and professional competence in cooperatives.
Focusing on Bihar, Shah stated that RICM Patna, functioning under NCCT, has trained 43,290 participants across a wide range of cooperative sectors. He further highlighted a special training initiative for secretaries of onboarded Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) on the CSC Portal, enabling them to provide 300 online services to PACS members.
Under this programme, 57 training sessions were conducted in Bihar, and 2,096 PACS secretaries were trained during 2024–25. According to the Minister, several PACS in the State have reported measurable improvements, including enhanced service delivery, increased footfall at PACS, and better inclusion of youth and women in cooperative activities.
Amit Shah said these outcomes reflect the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening cooperatives as vibrant, member-driven institutions under the vision of Sahakar se Samriddhi.