Parliament Question: Central assistance to cooperative sector

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 490 ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026 Central assistance to Cooperative sector 490. Shri Harsh Mahajan Will the Minister of Cooperation be pleased to state: (a) the schemes currently being implemented by the Central Government across the country, particularly in the State of Himachal Pradesh, for the development, strengthening and modernization of the cooperative sector; (b) the amount of financial assistance provided to Himachal Pradesh during the last three years and the scheme-wise details thereof; and (c) whether Government proposes to launch any special package/new initiative to strengthen Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy, fisheries and multipurpose cooperative societies in the remote and rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF COOPERATION (SHRI AMIT SHAH) (a) The Central Government is implementing various schemes, programmes and initiatives across the country, including in the State of Himachal Pradesh, for the development, strengthening and modernization of the cooperative sector. These include: i. IT Interventions: • PACS Computerization Project, under which functional PACS are being onboarded on a common ERP-based national software to improve transparency, accounting and service delivery. • Computerization of Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) to strengthen long-term cooperative credit. • Sahakar Sarathi, a shared services initiative providing technological infrastructure such as Core Banking Solutions (CBS), AePS and UPI-based digital payment systems for cooperative banks.ii. Institutional Strengthening and Diversification: • Model Bye-laws for PACS, enabling PACS to undertake more than 25 business activities, including operation of Common Service Centres (CSCs), Jan Aushadhi Kendras and other income-generating services. • Plan for formation of 2 lakh new multipurpose PACS, dairy and fishery cooperative societies to ensure cooperative coverage in all uncovered Panchayats/villages. • White Revolution 2.0, a cooperative-led initiative to enhance milk procurement, productivity and farmer incomes. • Formation and promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) through cooperatives to strengthen market access and value chains. (b) The financial assistance provided to Himachal Pradesh during the last three years through various Central Government schemes is as under: • Computerization Projects: ▪ PACS Computerization: ₹26.74 crore released for modernization of 1,885 sanctioned PACS. ▪ ARDB Computerization: ₹1.04 crore released for 88 approved units. ▪ During the period 2021–22 to 2025–26 (up to December 2025), a total of 195 training programmes were conducted for Himachal Pradesh, and 33,953 participants were trained by NCCT institutes. • NCDC Assistance (FY 2022–23 to FY 2025–26, as on January 2026): ₹24.38 crore, comprising ₹12.54 crore as loans and ₹11.84 crore as subsidies. (c) Government is implementing several new initiatives and targeted interventions to strengthen PACS, dairy, fisheries and multipurpose cooperative societies across the country including remote and rural areas of State of Himachal Pradesh. The details are as under: - • Under White Revolution 2.0, targets have been assigned for formation and strengthening of Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS). As per data of NDDB, as of January 2026, 263 new DCS have been formed and 22 DCS have been strengthened in Himachal Pradesh in FY 2025-26. • In addition to the DCS mentioned in point above, under the plan for formation of 2 lakh new cooperatives across the country, the State of Himachal Pradesh as on 20.01.2026 has also registered 116 M-PACS and 6 fishery cooperative society. • Grain storage infrastructure is being strengthened under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan, with 2 PACS identified in Himachal Pradesh for construction of godowns. • Promotion of FPOs through NCDC, with a target of establishing at least 150 FPOs in the State to enhance farmer aggregation, credit access and market linkages. *****