SRINAGAR: The Union Government has expanded the role of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across multiple sectors, with computerisation, grain storage, digital services and farmer-oriented activities being rolled out nationwide, even as Jammu and Kashmir has already brought 235 PACS on the e-PACS platform, according to details placed before the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures were disclosed by Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in response to a question on irregularities in the cooperative sector. The reply said the Government has approved a Rs 2,925.39-crore project to computerise functional PACS and link them with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks.
Across the country, 79,630 PACS from 31 States and Union Territories have been sanctioned under the computerisation project, of which 63,707 have been onboarded on the ERP-based national software. A total of 54,707 PACS have been declared e-PACS, with 51.58 crore transactions carried out through the software as of July 15, 2026.
In JK, 235 PACS have been computerised and declared Go-Live/e-PACS, according to the government data provided in the reply.
The Centre has also sanctioned three 500-metric-tonne godowns in Banswara district under its decentralised grain storage initiative, with two completed and one under construction. The wider scheme aims to create warehouses, custom hiring centres and primary processing infrastructure at PACS level to reduce post-harvest losses and transportation costs and help farmers secure better prices.
The Government said 55,514 PACS nationwide have started providing Common Service Centre facilities, enabling access to more than 300 e-services, including banking, insurance, Aadhaar-related services, health services and ticketing.
The Ministry also said 38,974 PACS are functioning as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, while 4,275 PACS or cooperative societies have applied to operate Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Of these, 4,255 have received initial approval and 645 have started functioning as Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
On irregularities, the Ministry said it does not maintain consolidated information on cooperative-sector scams. However, information obtained from the Central Cooperative Banks and the Apex Cooperative Bank of Rajasthan showed one case of embezzlement, irregularity or cheating in the Banswara Lok Sabha constituency during the last five years, and action has been taken in that case. No such case was reported by the Dungarpur or Chittorgarh Central Cooperative Banks in the constituency.
The Government said 32 States and Union Territories have adopted model PACS bye-laws or have existing bye-laws aligned with the model framework, aimed at making PACS more transparent, accountable and economically viable.
It has also approved a plan to establish new multipurpose PACS, dairy and fisheries cooperatives to cover all panchayats and villages over the next five years. Since the approval of the initiative in February 2023, 38,138 new PACS, dairy and fishery cooperative societies have been registered, while 21,292 dairy and fisheries cooperatives have been strengthened, according to the reply.
