Hyderabad: Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao on Friday directed officials to take up PACS modernisation Telangana measures through capacity building, activity diversification and technology adoption to make Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies more competitive and sustainable.
The directions came during the State Cooperative Development Committee meeting held at the Secretariat. Union Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Butani and Telangana Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao presided over the meeting.
Senior officials from the Union Ministry of Cooperation, the state government and the cooperative department attended the meeting. They discussed measures to strengthen the cooperative sector across Telangana.
Ramakrishna Rao said Telangana had a strong and vibrant cooperative movement. He said it had immense potential to support inclusive economic growth. Therefore, he asked officials to focus on viable and service-oriented cooperative institutions at the grassroots level.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to strengthening Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies. He said PACS should become stronger institutions for rural communities.
PACS modernisation Telangana focus on dairy and fisheries
The Chief Secretary said the cooperative sector had major scope for expansion, especially in dairy and fisheries. He said these sectors could create employment and income opportunities for rural communities.
Further, he stressed the role of cooperatives in inclusive growth and grassroots economic empowerment. He directed officials to identify key areas where cooperative societies could be improved.
Accordingly, he asked departments to work on better governance, digital integration, improved financial management and capacity building. He also directed officials to make PACS more sustainable through modern systems.
Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperation Surendra Mohan presented a detailed overview of the cooperative sector. He said cooperative institutions were playing a major role in the socio-economic development of rural communities.
Ramakrishna Rao informed the meeting that 60,925 cooperative societies were functioning in Telangana. He said this reflected the strength and reach of the cooperative movement in the state.
PACS modernisation Telangana aligned with computerisation plan
Surendra Mohan said the state government was fully aligned with the Government of India’s plan for computerisation of PACS. He said the initiative would improve transparency, efficiency and service delivery.
As part of rural economic diversification, the Telangana Cooperative Union was handholding and developing 311 PACS into Farmer Producer Organisations. This would help farmers gain better market access, value addition and collective bargaining opportunities.
He said the government was also formulating a comprehensive state cooperative policy. The proposed policy would provide strategic direction for growth and modernisation of the cooperative sector.
The policy aims to promote professional management, financial sustainability and digital transformation. It will also support the expansion of cooperative activities into emerging sectors.
Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Cooperation Siddarth Jain, Civil Supplies Commissioner Stephen Ravindra, Animal Husbandry Secretary Ilambarthi and other officials attended the meeting.