New Delhi: On Tuesday, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the computerization project for Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) and the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCSs) across all States and Union Territories in the national capital.

During his address, the Union Home Minister disclosed that the computerization of ARDB and RCS offices in all states and UTs would amount to approximately Rs 225 crores. This initiative, aligned with Prime Minister Modi's vision of "Sahkar Se Samriddhi," signifies a key step taken by the Ministry of Cooperation to modernize the cooperative sector and improve efficiency through a digital platform.

The ARDB computerization project targets 1,851 units in 13 states and UTs, connecting them with NABARD through common national software. This move aims to enhance operational efficiency, accountability, and transparency in ARDB by implementing a Common Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System.

The project also seeks to reduce transaction costs, streamline loan distribution to farmers, and provide real-time data access for effective monitoring of schemes. This will particularly benefit small and marginal farmers associated with ARDBs through Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACSs) at the grassroots level.

As part of another major initiative, the Ministry of Cooperation focuses on computerizing RCS offices in all states and UTs, encouraging paperless functioning, and adopting an IT-oriented workflow aligned with Cooperative Acts and Regulations. The objectives include improving efficiency, accountability, and transparency in RCS offices, implementing analytics and Management Information Systems, and ensuring linkage with the national database.

The Ministry's broader initiatives involve the computerization of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACSs) across the country, connecting them to NABARD through Common National Software. More than 50,000 PACSs have already been onboarded as Common Service Centers (CSCs), providing digital services. Additionally, the Ministry is set to launch a new National Cooperative Database containing data from over 8 lakh cooperative societies, accessible to all stakeholders.

With over 1,200 participants, including senior officials from states and union territories, cooperative department secretaries, Registrars of Cooperative Societies, and representatives of cooperative banks, the event underscores the government's commitment to digitizing and modernizing the cooperative sector.

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