New Delhi, January 22, 2024.

The National Council for Co-operative Training (NCCT) will help 30,000 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) in transforming them as Common Service Centres (CSCs) by imparting training to their employees.

The training programme for employees of 30,000 PACS, which have enrolled themselves as Common Service Centres (CSCs), will be conducted during February and March.

After the training programme, these PACS will become one-stop shops for many essential services like banking, insurance, Aadhaar updates, and all government-to-citizen e-services.

National Council for Co-operative Training (NCCT) is an Autonomous Society promoted by Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India.

Under the dynamic leadership of Union Home Minister and Union Cooperation Minister, the Ministry of Cooperation has taken several measures to strengthen PACS, which are grass root level arms of the short term cooperative credit structure.

Common Service Centres (CSC) are the touchpoints for delivering government-to-citizen e-services directly to citizens without needing to visit government offices.

They establish a physical infrastructure with information and communication technology (ICT) tools.

CSC plays a significant role in increasing transparency in service delivery and reducing citizens' burden by bringing essential services closer to their doorsteps.

A comprehensive training programme to educate 30,000 PACS that would enable them to offer various services of CSC is all set to kick start from the month of February 2024, said a NCCT official.

“About 80 master trainers associated with NCCT will provide training to about 30,000 PACS spread across 570 districts across India. The training will be imparted during the month of February and March, will enable help enhance income of PACS. This in turn will benefit crores of farmers and rural population,” the official said.

The training will be provided at PSC’s at 28 states. Training will contain hand on practice on computer systems about 300 services offered by CSCs. In subsequent months there will be follow ups and also hand holding of these PACS. Mobilisation of PACS will be done with the help of State Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) and District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCB’s).

Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) taking on the role of Common Service Centres (CSCs) will soon offer citizens a vast array of services, from banking and insurance to Aadhaar updates and legal advice. They'll even become one-stop shops for agri-inputs like farm equipment, PAN cards, and travel bookings for trains, buses, and flights.

As per NABARD, around 63,000 PACS operate across the country, with 50,000 already enrolled as Common Service Centres (CSCs). Of these, 30,000 are actively offering CSC services, bringing essential services closer to rural communities.

Upcoming training by "Master Trainers" is expected to significantly enhance service delivery and efficiency at PACS-turned-CSCs.

The Ministry of Cooperation emphasizes the immense potential of this initiative.

With expanded service offerings, PACS will not only benefit their 13 crore farmer members but also generate additional revenue and transform into self-sustaining economic entities.

To fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samridhi’, the Government has allowed PACS to function as CSCs. For the purpose, a MoU which allowed PACS to offer more than 300 services to the rural population, has been signed between the Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd.####