Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Launch Computerization Project for Agricultural and Rural Development Banks

New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is set to launch the Computerization Project for Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) and the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCSs) across all States and Union Territories in New Delhi. This significant initiative is organized by the Ministry of Cooperation in collaboration with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry of Cooperation is committed to realizing the vision of “Sahkaar Se Samriddhi,” aiming to bring prosperity to millions of farmers. The Computerization of ARDB and RCS offices nationwide is a crucial step towards achieving Prime Minister Modi’s vision. This project underscores the Modi government’s commitment to modernizing the cooperative sector, enhancing efficiency, and bringing the entire cooperative ecosystem onto a digital platform.

The Computerization Project of Agricultural and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) targets the computerization of 1851 units in 13 States/UTs, linking them with NABARD through a Common National Software. This initiative seeks to improve operational efficiency, accountability, and transparency in ARDBs by standardizing business procedures through the Common Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System (MIS). The project aims to reduce transaction costs, facilitate streamlined loan distribution to farmers, and provide real-time data access for better monitoring and assessment of schemes. Small and marginal farmers connected with ARDBs through Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACSs) at the grassroots level will benefit from these enhancements.

In the second major initiative, the Ministry of Cooperation aims to computerize the offices of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) in all States and Union Territories. This initiative encourages paperless functioning and the implementation of an IT-oriented workflow aligned with the Cooperative Acts and Regulations of the respective regions. The objectives include improving efficiency, accountability, and transparency in RCS offices, implementing analytics and Management Information Systems (MIS), and ensuring linkage with the national database.

As part of the broader initiatives of the Ministry of Cooperation, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACSs) nationwide are being computerized and linked to NABARD through a Common National Software. More than 50,000 PACSs have been onboarded as Common Service Centers (CSCs), with over 30,000 already providing digital services. Additionally, the Ministry has established a new National Cooperative Database containing data from over 8 lakh cooperative societies, set to launch soon and be accessible to all stakeholders.

The event on January 30 will witness the participation of over 1200 attendees, including senior officials from all states and union territories, cooperative department secretaries, Registrars of Cooperative Societies, Presidents of State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs), and representatives of Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs) and ARDB units.