NEW DELHI: Over 1.08 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across India are now delivering credit services to more than 14 crore members, marking a major milestone in rural financial inclusion, said Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation. Speaking at a national conference on “Emerging Technologies in PACS,” Dr. Bhutani underscored the Centre’s push to empower cooperatives as key drivers of village economic growth digitally.
Held as part of the International Year of Cooperatives celebrations, the event brought together 122 PACS representatives from 12 states to showcase digital innovations such as PACS Unite ERP, AI applications, and core banking systems.
Dr. Bhutani said the Ministry, created in 2021, aims to revitalize PACS by making them tech-driven, transparent, and multifunctional. PHDCCI’s Dr. Ranjeet Mehta and NABARD’s G.S. Rawat emphasized government schemes and funding support for PACS digitization. A policy compendium from the event will guide future cooperative tech frameworks.