From ticketing to banking: Over 17,000 PACS start functioning as Common Service Centres
Cooperation Minister Amit Shah announced on Friday that Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) that have registered to operate as Joint Service Centers (CSCs) will soon start offering a railway booking service, which may help people in rural areas get their train ticket at their doorstep.
Shah announced that 17,176 PACS have already registered to operate as CSCs, out of which 6,670 PACS have already initiated transactions, within the next 7-15 days many PACS will join the program to provide various services. He added that this will provide job opportunities for about 13,000-14,000 young people as workers.
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PACS is now allowed to provide more than 300 services such as banking, insurance and Aadhaar registration in rural India. It is estimated that more than one Lakh PACS is operating in the country. The number of active CSCs has reached 5.19 lakh now from 83,000 in 2014.
The minister also said that about 3 thousand cubic meters of new PACS will be constructed in the next few years which will provide these services from the very beginning.
Strengthening the rural economy
“Today PACS and CSCs unite. This will not only increase facilities for the poor but also give new energy and new strength to the rural economy.
In February, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India to enable PACS to offer services offered by CSC.
More services to come
Since more than 300 services will be provided to rural people including 13 crore farmer members of PACS, turnover of PACS will also increase and many loss-making cooperatives will also be able to become self-sufficient economic entities.
PACS will be able to provide all the services listed in the Seva digital portal of the CSC Scheme to citizens, including banking, insurance, Aadhaar registration/updating, legal services, agricultural inputs such as agricultural equipment, PAN card, IRCTC, railways, buses, air ticket related services, etc.
Shah said, “If the co-operative movement is to be strengthened, then its smallest unit, PACS, must be strengthened first.” He cited several government initiatives including the computing program to harden the PACS.
Shah noted that the government has agreed to computerize PACS with the aim of increasing the efficiency of PACS, achieving transparency and accountability in their operations, along with facilitating PACS to diversify their businesses and undertake multiple activities/services.