The top team of the apex co-op body, NCUI led by its President Dileep Sanghani, visited Atal Bhawan, the new office of the co-op ministry and met Union Minister Amit Shah and top ministry officials Thursday evening. The subject of the meeting was revitalizing PACS and SHGs.
Known for his out of the box thinking, Union Minister Shah drew a roadmap of reviving PACS and exhorted NCUI officials to stir out of the Delhi headquarters and go out in the field. The target is to reach out to every village in a systematic manner, said Sanghani, talking to the Indian Cooperative soon after the meeting.
“Amitbhai was clear in his views and said categorically that we have not only to strengthen those PACs which are in operation but also revive those which have fallen on hard times”, said Sanghani quoting the Minister.
This was an introductory meeting on the issue and the Minister expressed a desire to hold regular meetings on the subject. “We will meet again after a fortnight with whatever data of PACs, NCUI has in its possession”, confirmed the NCUI President.
“The primary job of NCUI would be to train all the secretaries of primary cooperative societies across states. Different modules for different kinds of PACS would be formulated as the one for agricultural PACS may not be suitable for a milk co-op society or for that matter fisheries co-ops”, stated Sanghani.
“We will need to strengthen our faculty. The minister has assured us of all the help that we may need in the process”, said Sanghani stressing that Shah’s vision of PACS would make India a co-op capital of the world.
“Most of all, his emphasis on reaching out to the last man is remarkable. He wanted us to design things in a manner that first the state is empowered and then it percolates to district to tehsil to village. Gone are the days when co-op planning mostly existed on paper. In future it will be felt in each village of the country”, said an optimistic NCUI President.
In the meeting which was attended by several top ministry officials including Secretary Gyanesh Kumar and NCUI officials such as Sudhir Mahajan & Savitri Singh, the Union Minister also stressed on converting self-help groups into cooperatives. The members of SHGs would benefit hugely if they acquire the role of co-ops, Sanghani said, quoting Shah.
Sanghani, who had returned to Amreli from Chandigarh after attending the North Zone Co-op Conference, had to rush back to Delhi on Thursday when the message from the Minister reached his office. Soon after the meeting he again rushed back to the airport for Lucknow to attend a farmers’ meet organized by IFFCO.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is busy giving final shape to model bylaws of PACS. In its new avatar PACS would be practically taking care of all the basic needs of villagers.
