Shah inaugurated the ‘Eastern and North-Eastern Zones Dairy Cooperative Conclave- 2022’ at Manan Kendra on Friday
GANGTOK, Oct 7: Union Home and Cooperation minister Amit Shah on Friday said that primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) will be set up in all panchayats of the country to boost various activities over the next five years, such as marketing of dairy products, and people of northeast will largely benefit from the move.
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The minister noted that there are only 65,000 active PACS in the country at present, and it is imperative that all panchayats must have one such body by 2027 to promote farming and dairy activities at the grassroots level.
“The co-operation ministry is working on a plan to set up multi-purpose PACS in panchayats over the next five years in order to promote various cooperative activities at the grassroots level,” he said, inaugurating the ‘Eastern and North-Eastern Zones Dairy Cooperative Conclave- 2022’ at Manan Kendra.
Such PACS will carry out activities like sale of gas and petrol and storage and marketing of dairy and farm products. with an aim to alleviate poverty and empower women, Shah, who arrived here around noon, maintained.
Shah also pointed out that the eastern and northeastern states will benefit the most from the establishment of the PACS as its farm and dairy products will be efficiently marketed, thus generating optimum financial benefits for people engaged in animal husbandry and allied sectors.
Alleging that the previous governments had neglected the cooperative sector, Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the vision to identify the role that the segment could play in poverty alleviation and women empowerment and decided to set up a separate ministry.
The Union minister also emphasised the need to double milk production in the country over the next five years, not just to meet the demand in the domestic market, but also those of neighbouring countries.
Shah said various stakeholders of the cooperative sectors must strive hard to cater to the demands of the huge dairy market of India and neighbours.
The minister asserted that the PM was committed to ushering in development in the northeast, and all states in the region are being linked via air and rail links and road infrastructure.
By 2034, the results of the ongoing efforts of the Modi government for development of the northeast states will be visible to one and all, Shah said.
Earlier in the day, Shah unveiled a bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Raj Bhavan here.
Shah was received on his arrival at Libing helipad by chief minister Prem Singh Tamang.
He will leave for Guwahati later in the day. (PTI)
