Digitisation of accounts of Cooperatives to benefit members: Dhami

Dehradun, 31 Jul: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the computerisation of 108 Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Societies (M-PACS) at a function held at CM’s Residence here today. He also laid the foundation stone for a Joint project of Silage production of Marketing Cooperative Federation Ltd which would be established in Chharba village in Dehradun.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the basic concept of cooperative was that everyone ought to cooperate in it. According to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state was also moving towards digital transactions. As a result, the entire amount of the beneficiary was now being deposited in his account through DBT, due to which the leakages have been plugged and the fund was fully and directly available to the beneficiary now. He reminded that in this regard former Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi had said that if Rs 100 was approved to a beneficiary from Delhi, then only Rs 15 was reaching the beneficiary. This system has now completely changed through digital transactions.

Dhami said that Uttarakhand was the second state after Telangana where the process of computerisation of 670 PEX was in progress, out of which the work of computerisation of 108 M-PACS has been completed, under which the State Government with the help of Co-operative Banks and NABARD would spend Rs 37.52 crore. Efforts have been made to bring these primary cooperatives on digital platform. More than 30 lakh rural people of the state would benefit by digitalisation of M-PACS accounts and making them online. More than 10 lakh accounts of committee members would be brought on the digital platform. This scheme as implemented by Uttarakhand has also been appreciated at the national level. Efforts ought to be made to identify the corrective steps taken in the field of cooperatives as best practice.

Dhami said that the Chief Minister Ghasyari Kalyan Yojana was started in the state last year by the lotus blessings of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.  Now the women in the hills would not have to go far and wide to collect fodder and face danger to their lives.

The Chief Minister said that under the Mukhyamantri Ghasiyari Kalyan Yojana, arrangements were being made to provide packed silage to the cattle rearers of remote rural hill areas of Uttarakhand at their homes, while connecting the state’s cattle rearers with the technological development in the nutritional system. The cattle farmers would be greatly be benefited by the upcoming silage production unit. The objective of this scheme was to free more than one lakh women beneficiaries from the burden of collecting fodder from the forest by providing silage feed blocks at subsidised rates which would increase the health and milk yield of the animals.

Pushkar Singh Dhami said that on the occasion of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, various programs were being organized in honour of freedom fighters. The Chief Minister also appealed to everyone to be a part of the campaign to hoist the national flag in 20 lakh houses of the state from 13 to 15 August. On this occasion, loans were also distributed by the Chief Minister, and Cooperative Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat to various women self-help groups.

On this occasion, Cooperatives Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat said that 33 lakh people were associated with cooperatives in the state and that people were getting complete information about their accounts due to availability of online access to their accounts. State cooperative computerisation system was being adopted in many states of the country. He said that till now 6.41 lakh people in the state have been provided loans worth Rs 37 crore without interest and 3837 women groups had been provided loans worth Rupees five lakh each. He said that along with women’s groups, arrangements would be made to provide loans to men’s groups as well.