Sahakar Bharati has hailed the govt decision to add a new dimension to PACS by enabling it to offer all the digital services to village folks through Common Service Centers. Calling it historic, the co-op body said that it will go a long way in revolutionizing rural India.
In an email to the Indian Cooperative, Sahakar Bharati sent its reaction saying “ Sahakar Bharati congratulates the government of India for this historic move”, wrote Satish Marathe, one of the founder members of Sahakar Bharati.
Talking to the Indian Cooperative Marathe added that the PACS are the building blocks of cooperative movement and their growing strength would strengthen not only the national co-operative movement but also help the rural folks. It would lead India from the category of emerging economies to a developed economy”, said Marathe who is also on the board of RBI representing the cooperative sector.
It bears recalling that on Thursday an MoU was signed enabling PACS in providing services offered by Common Service Centers, in the presence of Union Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah and Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnav.
Marathe said that the process of making PACS computerized and multipurpose is already going on a war footing. They are shortly expected to offer more than 25 kinds of services leading to an increase in the employment opportunities for rural youths.
The new avatar of PACS will do a variety of work including water distribution, storage, running ambulances, operating hotels and petrol pumps and even employing drones for sprinkling pesticides, said an excited Marathe.
On this occasion of the signing of the MoU, the Union Cooperation Minister also listed various initiatives incorporated in the budget this year. Shah said that the national software being developed under the ongoing Centrally-Sponsored Scheme of PACS computerization will also be used for PACS to function as CSCs, which will be a big achievement.
The Minister said that as per the agreement signed today, PACS will now be able to function as Common Service Centres, along with this, more than 300 services will be made available to the rural population including 13 crore farmer members of PACS. It will increase the business activities of PACS and help them become self-sustaining economic entities.
The Minister of State for Cooperation BL Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, senior officials of Ministry of Cooperation, NABARD and NCDC were present on the occasion.
