New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Thursday between the cooperation ministry, IT ministry, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd to enable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies to provide services offered by Common Service Centres.

According to an official statement, the MoU was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah and Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav.

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Shah said as per the MoU, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) will now be able to function as Common Service Centres (CSCs). Along with this, more than 300 services will be made available to the rural population, including 13 crore members of PACS.

It will increase the business activities of PACS and help them become self-sustaining economic entities.

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With this initiative, Shah said the PACS will be able to provide all the services listed on the Digital Seva Portal of CSC scheme to citizens, including banking, insurance, Aadhaar enrolment/update, legal services, agri-inputs like farm equipment, PAN card, IRCTC, rail, bus, and air ticket related services, among others.

He said the national software being developed under the ongoing Centrally-Sponsored Scheme of PACS computerisation will be used for enabling PACS to function as CSCs.

PACS are the soul of cooperatives and making them multipurpose as providers of about 20 services will increase employment opportunities in rural areas, he added.

Describing this agreement as a win-win situation for all, Shah said this will help in fulfilling the Prime Minister's dream of ‘Sahkar Se Samridhi' and making cooperatives the backbone of rural development.

Shah said this MoU will help in advancing the concept of CSCs to the smallest unit of the country very easily.

The minister said making PACS viable was the biggest problem in front of the cooperative sector, and today a new beginning has been made by adding many new dimensions to their functioning.

According to the statement, Shah also highlighted that many important announcements have been made for the cooperative sector in this year's Budget.

A provision has been made in the Budget to set up 2 lakh PACS in the next five years and create a multi-purpose PACS in every Panchayat.

Apart from this, the foundation of the world's largest grain storage scheme has also been laid in the Budget for the cooperative sector.

Shah informed that creation of a national database for the cooperative sector is 70 per cent complete.

Apart from this, model bye-laws have been prepared and sent to all the states after discussing with all the stakeholders.

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