Aiming to strengthen the primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) and enhance their business by more footfall, the Punjab government will transform these societies into 'cooperative rural hubs' to provide quality products of essential commodities, electronic goods and other items of daily needs at village level.Disclosing this in a workshop on PACSs, additional chief secretary cooperation D.P. Reddy stressed the need for strengthening the societies in view of their thin profits and asked the department to setup rural hubs in selected PACSs in a phased manner. Besides this, more 'agricultural service centres' should be established in the PACSs to provide agriculture implements on custom-hiring basis required by the farmers to cut their capital expenditures in purchase of costly tools.This workshop was attended by Kuljit Singh Nagra MLA Fatehgarh Sahib, Gaggandeep Singh Brar Special Secretary Cooperation, Arvinder Singh Bains Registrar Cooperative Societies Punjab, Inder Mohan Singh Additional Registrar Cooperative Societies and officials of cooperative bank and representatives of few PACSs.
To strengthen the PACSs Mr Reddy directed the officers to draft a road-map within a period of 15 days for setting up of rural hubs which could be made functional from April this. He disclosed that around 30% PACSs were in loses and others running with thin profits. So it was need of the hour to strengthen these cooperative societies vis-a-vis to turn them into profit earning ventures, adding he advised that in addition to their existing agri businesses these village level societies should be empowered to sell quality products of essential commodities, electronic goods and other items of daily needs in rural areas.On the occasion Punjab State Cooperative Bank MD Dr. S.K. Batish made a presentation for strengthening of PACSs and suggested additional business through rural hubs by which these societies would come out of red and cater to the needs of the farmer members in a better way at their doorsteps.Addressing the participants Mr Reddy also pointed out the needs to prevent stubble burning by the farmers which hampered the life of common man in the State. He informed that PACSs would provide latest agriculture implements to the farmers on custom-hiring basis to prevent stubble burning which would be beneficial for the societies as well as to the common people for better ecological health thereby preventing many physical diseases. "A mobile application will also be launched soon to facilitate the tillers to get implements used for management of crop residue and field preparation on custom-hiring basis," he added. EOM