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Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Monday emphasized the need to involve as many Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) as possible in developing a

comprehensive cooperative supply chain, in collaboration with state governments and cooperative marketing federations. During a review meeting, Shah highlighted that the world’s largest food

grain storage scheme is a significant step toward realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity Through Cooperation). Advertisement He noted that two

key indicators of India’s economic progress are Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment generation. The food storage scheme, he said, is designed to strengthen both, by enhancing the

income of PACS and creating rural employment opportunities. Advertisement The Minister underlined the urgent need to improve the financial condition of PACS by extending the loan period

under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). Stressing the importance of PACS in the food storage initiative, Shah said they must be made an integral part of the scheme to ensure their

financial viability and social relevance. He also directed the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to carry out a nationwide mapping of

warehouses to facilitate the smooth implementation of the scheme according to regional requirements. It was further decided in the meeting that states should actively involve more PACS in

the scheme and link their respective State-Level Marketing Federations to create a complete cooperative supply chain. Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State

Murlidhar Mohol, and senior officials from the Ministries of Cooperation and Food & Public Distribution, Consumer Affairs, FCI, NABARD, the National Cooperative Development Corporation

(NCDC), and other institutions attended the meeting. Advertisement