Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah today attended the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of National Federation of State Co-operative Banks Limited (NAFSCOB) and national meeting of Rural Cooperative Banks at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Many dignitaries including Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal and Muralidhar Mohol, and Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation were present on the occasion.
Union Minister of Cooperation said that there are two obstacles in the cooperative sector – unequal treatment and absence of a seamless legal framework and the evils that have cropped in during the last 75 years. He said that if we overcome both these obstacles, then the next 5 years will prove to be a defining moment for the cooperative sector. He said that India’s cooperative sector has the potential to guide the cooperative sectors across the world.
Union Minister of Cooperation said that as long as we do not strengthen PACS, district cooperative banks are of no significance, and in order to strengthen PACS, the Modi government has initiated several steps. He said that the old Bye-Laws of PACS had become irrelevant.
He mentioned that we have made many changes in them and sent the model Bye-Laws to the states, all states have accepted them. Shri Shah said that in these model Bye-Laws, we have added several new activities. Now PACS can also operate Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Kendras, run dairies, manage fishermen’s committees, and nearly 744 PACS have also received drug licenses.
Along with this, PACS have been granted fertilizer licenses, and around 39,000 PACS have now become Common Service Centers (CSCs) and are providing more than 300 services in villages. He said that these more than 20 activities will make PACS viable, which will lead to an increase in the number of district cooperative banks and state cooperative banks. He further stated that in the next 5 years, district cooperative banks will be opened in 80 per cent districts in the country, which will strengthen the cooperative sector.
