New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, is set to inaugurate the Computerization project for Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) and Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCSs) across all States and Union Territories in New Delhi on January 30, 2024. This initiative, organized by the Ministry of Cooperation in partnership with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), aligns with the vision of ‘Sahkaar Se Samriddhi’ championed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and guided by Shri Amit Shah.
The Computerization Project aims to digitize 1851 ARDB units in 13 States/UTs and integrate them with NABARD through a Common National Software. By implementing a Common Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System (MIS), this effort enhances operational efficiency, transparency, and accountability within ARDBs. It also seeks to lower transaction costs, streamline loan distribution to farmers, and provide real-time data access for improved scheme monitoring, particularly benefiting small and marginal farmers associated with Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACSs) at the grassroots level.
Additionally, the initiative targets the Computerization of RCS offices nationwide, advocating for paperless operations and IT-driven workflows aligned with Cooperative Acts and Regulations. The objective is to boost efficiency, transparency, and accountability within RCS offices, establish analytics and MIS, and ensure connectivity with the national database.
Furthermore, the Ministry is digitizing Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACSs) across the country, integrating them into the Common Service Centers (CSCs) model to offer digital services. With over 50,000 PACSs onboarded as CSCs and 30,000 already operational, this initiative aims to enhance service delivery. The Ministry is also launching a National Cooperative Database comprising data from over 8 lakh cooperative societies, aimed at benefiting stakeholders.
The event on January 30 will witness the participation of more than 1200 attendees, including senior officials from states and union territories, cooperative department secretaries, Registrars of Cooperative Societies, Presidents of State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs), as well as representatives of Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and ARDB units.