Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated a computerization scheme for the offices of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCSs) and Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) in New Delhi on tuesday. The move aligns with the vision of “Sahkaar Se Samriddhi” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in rural development.
Shah highlighted the significant achievements of the Modi government in the past decade, particularly in raising the standard of living for millions of people, bringing them above the poverty line. The establishment of the Ministry of Cooperation and the introduction of digital India initiative are seen as pivotal steps toward empowering rural communities and fostering self-employment through cooperatives.
The computerization project, with an estimated cost of Rs 225 crore, targets the modernization of cooperative systems, including PACSs, RCS offices, and ARDBs. Shah emphasized that this initiative would enhance transparency and accountability, benefiting farmers seeking medium and long-term loans.
The move towards a digital ecosystem in cooperatives, including the creation of the National Cooperative Database, is expected to revolutionize the sector.
Amit Shah underlined the importance of modernizing farming practices for increasing yields and ensuring the prosperity of farmers. The computerization of ARDBs is anticipated to improve operational efficiency, accounting uniformity, transparency, and curb corruption.
Additionally, plans are underway to link all Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks with a national software by NABARD, strengthening agricultural loan linkages.
The computerization project of ARDBs, covering 1851 units in 13 states and UTs, aims to standardize business processes through the Common Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System (MIS). This initiative is poised to reduce transaction costs, facilitate timely loan distribution to farmers, and provide real-time data access for better scheme monitoring and assessment.