Lok Sabha Question No. 3500 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-17
Subject: Empowering Cooperative Societies
Ministry: COOPERATION
Asked by: Shri Anil Firojiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3500 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 th  DECEMBER, 2024

## Empowering Cooperative Societies

## 3500. Shri Anil Firojiya:

Will the Minister of Cooperation (सहकारिता मंत्री) be pleased to state:

- (a)    the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  empower  cooperative  societies  and  promote  rural development through them along with the details thereof; and
- (b)  the details of the schemes implemented by the Government so far for strengthening rural cooperative banks along with the improvements made as a result thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COOPERATION सहकारिता मंत्री (SHRI AMIT SHAH)

(a). Ministry  of  Cooperation,  since  its  inception  on  6th  July,  2021  has  undertaken  various initiatives  and  reforms  to  empower  cooperative  societies  and  leverage  their  potential  in promoting all-round development of the cooperatives across the country.

Cooperatives are seen as crucial instruments for socio-economic development, especially in rural areas, as they help in providing access to credit, promoting agricultural activities, and fostering rural entrepreneurship. Through policy reforms, financial support, capacity building, technological adoption, and focused programs for rural infrastructure and agricultural development, the government has actively encouraged cooperatives to play a pivotal role in rural transformation.  Ministry  of  Cooperation  with  active  participation  of  various  States/  UTs  has taken various initiatives to revitalize and strengthen the cooperative sector across the country, the details of which are enclosed at Annexure .

National  Cooperative  Development  Corporation  (NCDC),  a  statutory  organization  under  the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, implements Corporation Sponsored and Central Sector Schemes for the development of Cooperatives in the rural areas of the country. NCDC has cumulatively provided Rs.3,78,544.60 crore for the development of the cooperatives.

(b). Rural Cooperative Banks have been facing many difficulties over the years. The Ministry has made persistent efforts to remove the difficulties being faced by these Banks. As a result, RBI has taken many steps to strengthen these Banks, some of which are as below-

1. Cooperative banks have been allowed to make one-time settlement of outstanding loans, like Commercial Banks: Co-operative banks, through board-approved policies, can now provide the process for settlement with borrowers, along with technical write-off.

2. Individual housing loan limit more than doubled by RBI for Rural and Urban Cooperative Banks:
- a) Housing loan limit of Urban Cooperative Banks has now been doubled from Rs. 30 lakhs to Rs.60 lakhs.
- b) Housing loan limit of Rural Cooperative Banks has been increased to two and a half times to Rs.75 lakhs
3. Rural Co-operative Banks are now able to lend to commercial real estate - residential housing sector, thereby diversifying their business.
4.  Licence fee for onboarding Co-operative Banks to the modern 'Aadhaar Enabled Payment System' (AePS) has been reduced by linking it to the number of transactions. Apart from this, cooperative financial institutions will also be able to get the facility free of cost for the first three months of the pre-production phase. With this, farmers will now be able to get the facility of banking at their home with their fingerprints.
5.    To achieve the prosperity in the country through the mantra of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' and also to strengthen the rural cooperative banks, a pilot project to promote 'Cooperation among Cooperatives' was launched on 21st May 2023 in Banaskantha and Panchmahal Districts of Gujarat. This campaign had the following three components-
- Opening of the account of the cooperative societies and their members in cooperative banks
- Distribution of Micro-ATMs to the dairy cooperative societies making them Bank-Mitra of the DCCBs
- Distribution of Rupay-KCC Cards to the dairy farmers

The  pilot  project  ran  till  31.12.2023  and  after  the  success  of  the  pilot  project,  a  statewide campaign on 'Cooperation among Cooperatives' was launched in all the districts of Gujarat on January 15, 2024. The progress in Gujarat State including pilot districts, till 30.11.2024 is as follows:

- Over 1,10,000 new RuPay KCCs were issued by DCCBs.
- 5,582 micro-ATMs were distributed to new Bank Mitra PDCS
- More than 16 lakh deposit accounts opened.
- Deposits amount with DCCBs increased by more than ₹4,600 crore
- Digital transactions increased by over 50 times

Based on the learnings of the pilot project and State-wide campaign, an SOP for nationwide implementation of 'Cooperation among Cooperatives' campaign was prepared and launched by the Home and Cooperation Minster on 19 September, 2024.

*****

## ANNEXURE

## Progress on major initiatives taken by Ministry of Cooperation

Ministry of Cooperation, since its inception on 6 th July, 2021, has undertaken several initiatives to  realize  the  vision  of  'Sahakar-se-Samriddhi'  and  to  strengthen  &  deepen  the  cooperative movement from Primary to Apex level Cooperatives in the country. List of initiatives taken and progress made so far are as follows:

## A. Making Primary Cooperatives economically vibrant and transparent

1. Model  Bye-Laws  for  PACS  making  them  multipurpose,  multidimensional  and transparent entities : Government, in consultation with all the stakeholders, including States/  UTs,  National  Level  Federations,  State  Cooperative  Banks  (StCBs),  District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), etc., has prepared and circulated Model Byelaws for PACS to all the States/ UTs, which enable PACS to undertake more than 25 business activities,  improve  governance,  transparency  and  accountability  in  their  operations. Provisions have also been made to make the membership of PACS more inclusive and broad-based, giving adequate representation to women and Scheduled Castes/Schedules Tribes. So far, 32 States/ UTs have adopted Model Byelaws or their existing byelaws are in line with Model Byelaws.
2. Strengthening  of  PACS  through  Computerization :    In  order  to  strengthen  PACS, project for Computerization of functional PACS with a total financial outlay of ₹2,516 Crore  has  been  approved  by  the  Government  of  India,  which  entails  bringing  all functional PACS in the Country onto a common ERP based national software, linking them with NABARD through StCBs and DCCBs. A total of 67,930 PACS from 30 States/ UTs have been sanctioned under the project. A total of 40,727 PACS have been onboarded on ERP Software and hardware has been procured by 29 States/UTs.
3. Establishing New Multipurpose PACS/ Dairy/ Fishery Cooperatives in uncovered Panchayats :  The  Government  of  India  has  approved  the  plan  to  establish  new multipurpose  PACS/dairy/fisheries  cooperatives,  aiming  to  cover  all  panchayats  and villages in the country over the next five years. This initiative is supported by NABARD, NDDB,  NFDB  and  State/UT  Governments.  For  effective  implementation  of  the initiative, 'Margadarshika' has been launched on 19.9.2024, indicating the targets and timelines for stakeholders. As per National Cooperative Database, a total of 8,823 new PACS, Dairy and Fishery Cooperative Societies have been registered across the country since the approval of the plan on 15.2.2023.
4. World's  Largest Decentralized Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative sector : Government has approved a plan to create warehouses, custom hiring centers, primary processing units and other agri infrastructure for grain storage at PACS level, through convergence of various GOI schemes, including AIF, AMI, SMAM, PMFME, etc. This will reduce wastage of food grains and transportation costs, enable farmers to realize better prices for their produce and meet various agricultural needs at the PACS level

itself. Under the pilot project, construction of godowns in 11 PACS of 11 States has been completed.

5. PACS as Common Service Centers (CSCs) for better access to e-services : An MoU has  been  signed  between  Ministry  of  Cooperation,  MeitY,  NABARD  and  CSC  eGovernance  Services  India  Limited  for  providing  more  than  300  e-services  such  as banking, insurance, Aadhar enrolment/ updation, health services, PAN card and IRCTC/ Bus/ Air ticket, etc. through PACS. So far, 40,214 PACS have started providing CSC services to rural citizens.
6. Formation of new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) by PACS : Government has allowed 1,100 additional FPOs to be formed by PACS with the support of NCDC, in those blocks where FPOs have not yet been formed or the blocks are not covered by any other  implementing  agency.  Apart  from  this,  1,207  FPOs  have  been  formed  in  the cooperative sector by NCDC. This will be helpful in providing farmers with necessary market linkages and get fair and remunerative prices for their produce.
7. PACS given priority for Retail Petrol/ Diesel outlets : Government has allowed PACS to be included in the Combined Category 2 (CC2) for allotment of retail petrol/ diesel outlets. As per information received from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), 286 PACS from 25 States/UTs have applied online for retail petrol/ diesel outlets.
8. PACS given permission to convert bulk consumer petrol pumps into retail outlets : The existing bulk consumer licensee PACS have been given a one-time option by Oil Marketing Companies to convert into retail outlets. As per information shared by OMCs, 109 wholesale consumer pump licensee PACS from 4 States have given consent for conversion into Retail Outlets, out of which 45 PACS have received Letter of Intent (LOI) from the OMCs.
9. PACS eligible for LPG Distributorship for diversifying its activities :  Government has  now  allowed  PACS  to  apply  for  LPG  Distributorships.  This  will  give  PACS  an option to increase their economic activities and diversify their income stream.
10. PACS as PM Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra for  improving  access  to  generic medicines at rural level : PACS have been allowed to operate Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs), which will provide additional income source to them and ease the access to quality generic medicines for rural citizens. So far, 4,470 PACS/ cooperative societies have applied online for PMBJKs, out of which 2,705 PACS have been  given  initial  approval  by  Pharmaceutical  &  Medical  Devices  Bureau  of  India (PMBI) and 755 PACS have received drug license from State Drug Controllers which are ready to function as PM Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
11. PACS as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSK): PACS have been enabled to operate PMKSK for ensuring easy accessibility of fertilizer & related services to farmers in the country. As per the information shared by Department of Fertilizers (GOI) and States/ UTs, a total of 36,180 PACS are functioning as PMKSK.
12. PACS to carry out O&M of rural piped water supply schemes (PWS) : PACS have been made eligible to carry out the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) of PWS in rural areas. As per information received from States/ UTs, 1,227 PACS have been identified/ selected by 13 States/ UTs to provide O&M services at Panchayat/ Village level.
13. Convergence of PM-KUSUM at PACS level : Farmers associated with PACS can adopt solar agricultural water pumps and install photovoltaic modules in their farms.
14. Micro-ATMs to Bank Mitra Cooperative Societies for providing doorstep financial services : Dairy and Fisheries cooperative societies can be made Bank Mitras of DCCBs and StCBs. To ensure their ease of doing business, transparency and financial inclusion, Micro-ATMs  are  also  being  given  to  these  Bank  Mitra  Co-operative  Societies  with support from NABARD to provide 'Door-step Financial Services'. To facilitate effective implementation of the initiative, an SOP has been launched on 19 th September 2024. So far,  7,446  Micro-ATMs have been distributed to Bank Mitra cooperative societies in Gujarat.
15. Rupay Kisan Credit Card to Members of Milk Cooperatives : In order to expand the reach of DCCBs/ StCBs and to provide necessary liquidity to the members of Dairy Cooperative societies, Rupay Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) are being distributed to the members of cooperatives for providing credit at comparatively lower interest rates and to  enable  them  to  carry  out  other  financial  transactions.  To  facilitate  effective implementation of the initiative, an SOP has been launched on 19 th September 2024. So far, 7,25,795 Rupay KCC have been distributed in the State of Gujarat.
16. Formation  of  Fish  Farmer  Producer  Organization  (FFPO) :  In  order  to  provide market linkage and processing facilities to fishermen, NCDC has registered 70 FFPOs in  the  initial  phase.  In  addition,  Department  of  Fisheries,  Government  of  India  has allocated the work of converting 1000 existing fisheries cooperative societies into FFPOs to NCDC, with an approved outlay of Rs. 225.50 crore.
17. White Revolution 2.0 : Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, has launched a new  initiative  of  'White  Revolution  2.0'  with  the  aim  of  enhancing  employment, promoting women's empowerment and improving milk production through cooperative societies. The key objectives of this initiative are 50% increase in procurement of milk by dairy cooperatives, providing market access to dairy farmers in areas that have not yet  been  covered  by  the  organized  dairy  sector  and  promoting  the  share  of  dairy cooperative  societies  in  the  organized  dairy  sector.  Ministry  of  Cooperation,  in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has prepared and launched an SOP on 19 th September, 2024 to guide the effective implementation of this initiative.
18. Atmanirbharta  Abhiyan :  Ministry  of  Cooperation  has  launched  the  initiative  to incentivize production of pulses (tur, masur and urad) to reduce dependency on imports, and production of maize to be used for production of ethanol for meeting the goal of Ethanol  Blending  Programme  (EBP).  National  Cooperative  Consumer  Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)

are  the  central  nodal  agencies  under  this  initiative,  and  have  developed  Esamyukti (NCCF)  and  Esamridhi  (NAFED)  portals  respectively,  for  registration  of  farmers through  cooperatives.  For  pre-registered  farmers  of  tur,  urad  and  masur  pulses,  the Government has guaranteed to procure 100% of the produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP). However, if market prices exceed the MSP, farmers are free to sell their produce in  the  open  market  for  higher  profits.  Similarly,  both  the  agencies  guarantee  100% procurement of maize from pre-registered farmers throughout all three seasons - Kharif, Zaid, and Rabi, thus ensuring a steady supply of maize to ethanol distilleries and at the same time also encouraging farmers to cultivate maize. As of today, 15,38,704 farmers have  already  registered  on  the  Esamyukti.in  portal  of  NCCF  and  17,64,130  on  the Esamridhi portal of NAFED.

## B. Strengthening the Urban and Rural Cooperative Banks

19. Urban  Cooperative  Banks  (UCBs)  have  been  allowed  to  open  new  branches  to expand their business: UCBs can now open new branches up to 10% (maximum 5 branches) of the existing number of branches in the previous financial year without prior approval of RBI.
20. UCBs have been allowed by RBI to offer doorstep services to their customers: Door step banking facility can now be provided by UCBs. Account holders of these banks can now avail  various  banking  facilities  at  home  such  as  cash  withdrawal,  cash  deposit, KYC, demand draft and life certificate for pensioners, etc.
21. Cooperative banks have been allowed to make one-time settlement of outstanding loans, like Commercial Banks: Co-operative banks, through board-approved policies, can now provide the process for settlement with borrowers, along with technical writeoff.
22. Time  limit  increased  to  achieve  Priority  Sector  Lending  (PSL)  targets  given  to UCBs : RBI has extended the timeline for UCBs to achieve Priority Sector Lending (PSL) targets by two years i.e., up to March 31, 2026.
23. A Nodal Officer designated in RBI for regular interaction with UCBs : In order to meet the long  pending  demand of the cooperative  sector  for  closer  coordination  and focused interaction, RBI has notified a nodal officer.
24. Individual  housing  loan  limit  more  than  doubled  by  RBI  for  Rural  and  Urban Cooperative Banks:
- a. Housing loan limit of Urban Cooperative Banks has now been doubled from Rs. 30 lakh to Rs.60 lakhs.
- b. Housing loan limit of Rural Cooperative Banks has been increased to two and a half times to Rs.75 lakhs.
25. Rural  Cooperative  Banks  will  now  be  able  to  lend  to  commercial  real  estate/ residential housing sector, thereby diversifying their business : This will not only help Rural Cooperative  Banks  to  diversify their business, but will benefit  Housing cooperative societies also.
26. License fee reduced for Cooperative Banks : License fee for onboarding Cooperative Banks to 'Aadhaar Enabled Payment System' (AePS) has been reduced by linking it to the number of transactions. Cooperative financial institutions will also be able to get the facility  free  of  cost  for  the  first  three  months  of the  pre-production  phase.  With  this, farmers  will  now  be  able  to  get  the  facility  of  banking  at  their  home  with  through biometrics.
27. Non-scheduled UCBs, StCBs and DCCBs notified as Member Lending Institutions (MLIs)  in  CGTMSE  Scheme  to  increase  the  share  of  cooperatives  in  lending: Cooperative banks will now be able to take advantage of risk coverage up to 85 percent on the loans given. Also, cooperative sector enterprises will also be able to get collateral free loans from cooperative banks now.
28. Notification of Scheduling norms for including Urban Cooperative Banks: UCBs that  meet  the  'Financially  Sound  and  Well  Managed'  (FSWM)  criteria  and  have maintained the minimum deposits required for classification as Tier 3 for the last two years are now eligible to be included in Schedule II of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and get 'Scheduled' status.
29. Monetary ceiling doubled by RBI for Gold Loan: RBI has doubled monetary ceiling from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs.4 lakh, for those UCBs that meet the PSL targets.
30. Umbrella Organization for Urban Cooperative Banks : RBI has accorded approval to the  National  Federation  of  Urban  Co-operative  Banks  and  Credit  Societies  Ltd. (NAFCUB) for the formation of an Umbrella Organization (UO) for the UCB sector, which will provide necessary IT infrastructure and operational support to around 1,500 UCBs.

## C. Relief to Cooperative Societies in the Income Tax Act

31. Surcharge  reduced  from  12%  to  7%  for  co-operative  societies  having  income between Rs. 1 to 10 Cr.: This will reduce the burden of Income Tax on Cooperative Societies and more capital will be available with them to work for the benefit of their members.
32. MAT reduced for cooperatives from 18.5% to 15%: With this provision, now there is parity between Cooperative Societies and Companies in this regard.
33. Relief in cash transactions under section 269ST of the Income Tax Act: In order to remove difficulties in cash transactions by cooperatives under Section 269ST of IT Act, Government has issued a clarification that cash transaction of less than Rs. 2 lakhs done by a cooperative society with its distributor in a day will be considered separately, and will not be charged with income tax penalty.
34. Tax cut for new manufacturing Cooperative societies: Government has decided that a flat lower tax rate of 15% will be charged, compared to an earlier rate of up to 30%

plus surcharge, for new cooperatives commencing manufacturing activities by March 31, 2024. This will encourage the formation of new  cooperative societies in the manufacturing sector.

35. Increase  in  limit  of  Cash  Deposits  and  Cash  Loans  by  PACS  and  PCARDBs: Government has enhanced the limit for Cash Deposits and Cash Loans by PACS and Primary  Cooperative  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  Banks  (PCARDBs)  from Rs.20,000 to Rs.2 lakh per member. This provision will facilitate their activities, increase their business and benefit members of their societies.
36. Increase  in  the  limit  of  Tax  Deducted  at  Source  (TDS)  in  Cash  Withdrawal: Government has increased the cash withdrawal limit of cooperative societies without deduction of tax at source from Rs.1 crore to Rs.3 crore per year. This provision will save Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) for cooperative societies, which will enhance their liquidity.

## D. Revival of Cooperative Sugar Mills

37. Relief  from  Income  Tax  to  Sugar  Cooperative  Mills :  Government  has  issued  a clarification that cooperative sugar mills would not be subjected to additional income tax for  paying  higher  sugarcane  prices  to  farmers  up  to  Fair  and  Remunerative  or  State Advised Price, from April, 2016 onwards.
38. Resolution  of  decades  old  pending  issues  related  to  Income  Tax  of  Sugar Cooperative Mills :  Government has made a provision in its Union Budget 2023-24, wherein Sugar cooperatives have been allowed to claim as expenditure their payments to sugarcane farmers for the period prior to assessment year 2016-17, giving them a relief of more than Rs.46,000 crore.
39. Rs.10,000  crore  loan  scheme  launched  for  strengthening  of  Sugar  Cooperative Mills : Government has launched a scheme through NCDC for setting up ethanol plants or cogeneration plants or for working capital or for all three purposes. So far, the Ministry has released Rs. 750 crore to NCDC (Rs. 500 crore in FY 2022-23 and Rs. 250 crore in FY  2024-25)  under  the  scheme  and  as  on  7.11.2024,  NCDC  has  so  far  sanctioned Rs.7790.00 crore to 56 CSMs.
40. Preference to Cooperative Sugar Mills in purchase of ethanol :  Cooperative Sugar Mills  have  now  been  put  at  par  with  private  companies  for  ethanol  procurement  by Government of India under the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP).
41. Reduction in GST on molasses from 28% to 5%: Government has decided to reduce the GST on molasses from 28% to 5% which will enable cooperative sugar mills to earn more profits for their members by selling molasses to distilleries with higher margins.

## E. Three new National Level Multi-State Societies

42. New National Multi-State Cooperative Seed Society for certified seeds : Government has established a new apex multi-state cooperative seed society under the MSCS Act,

2002,  namely  Bharatiya  Beej  Sahakari  Samiti  Limited  (BBSSL)  as  an  umbrella organization  for  quality  seed  cultivation,  production  and  distribution  under  a  single brand. BBSSL so far has planted breeder seeds of Wheat, Mustard, and Pulses (Gram, Pea) on 366 Hectare land during Rabi season. Similarly, during Kharif season breeder seeds of Paddy, Moong, Soyabean, Groundnut, Jowar and Guar have been planted on 148.26 Hectare land. So far, 14,816 PACS/ Cooperative Societies have become members of BBSSL.

43. New  National  Multi-State  Cooperative  Organic  Society  for  organic  farming : Government has established a new apex multi-state cooperative organic society under the MSCS Act, 2002, namely National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) as an umbrella organization to produce, distribute and market certified and authentic organic products. So far, 3,772 PACS/ cooperative societies have become members of NCOL. NCOL has launched 13 products i.e., Whole Wheat Flour, Moong Dhuli,  Moong Whole, Moog Chilka Dal, Moog Split, Arhar/Toor Dal, Urad Whole, Urad Dal, Masoor Whole, Masoor Malka,Brown Chana, Rajma Chitra, Chana Dal under 'Bharat Organics Brand'.
44. New  National  Multi-State  Cooperative  Export  Society  for  promoting  exports : Government has established a new apex multi-state cooperative export society under the MSCS Act, 2002, namely National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL) as an umbrella organization  to  give  thrust  to  exports  from  cooperative  sector.  So  far,  5,438  PACS/ cooperative societies have become members of NCEL. Till date, NCEL has achieved a total  export  quantity  of  commodities  (rice,  sugar,  onion,  wheat,  maize  and  Jeera)  of 11,62,728 Metric tonnes with an exported value of Rs. 4,581.7 crore.

## F. Capacity Building in Cooperatives

45. Promotion of training and awareness through National Council for Cooperative Training  (NCCT) :  By  increasing  its  reach,  NCCT  has  conducted  1,937  training programs and provided training to 1,09,021 participants till October 2024.

## G. Use of Information Technology for 'Ease of Doing Business'

46. Computerization  of  the  Central  Registrar's  Office :  Central  Registrar's  office  has been computerized to create a digital ecosystem for Multi-State Cooperative Societies, which will assist in processing applications and service requests in a time bound manner.
47. Scheme  for  computerization  of  office  of  RCSs  in  States/Union  Territories :  To increase  'Ease  of  doing  business'  for  Cooperative  Societies  and  create  a  digital ecosystem  for  transparent  paperless  regulation  in  all  the  States/  Union  Territories,  a Centrally Sponsored Project for computerization of RCS Offices has been approved by the  Government.  Grants  are  provided  for  purchase  of  hardware,  development  of software, etc. to the States/ UTs. So far, proposals received from 35 States/ UTs have been sanctioned by GOI.
48. Computerization  of  Agriculture  and  Rural  Development  Banks  (ARDBs) :  To strengthen the long-term cooperative credit structure, the project of computerization of 1,851 units of Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs) spread across 13

States/  Union  Territories  has  been  approved  by  the  Government.  NABARD  is  the implementing agency for the project. So far, proposals from 10 States/UTs have been received  and  sanctioned.  Further,  GOI  share  amounting  to  Rs  4.26  crore  has  been released to 8 States/UTs in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 for procurement of hardware, digitization and setting up of support system.

## H. Other Initiatives

49. New National Cooperative Database for authentic and updated data repository : A database  of  cooperatives  in  the  country  has  been  prepared  with  the  support  of  State Governments  to  facilitate  stakeholders  in  policy  making  and  implementation  of programmes/ schemes related to cooperatives across the country. So far, data of more than 8 lakh cooperatives has been captured in the database.
50. Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023 :  Amendment has been brought  in  the  MSCS  Act,  2002  to  strengthen  governance,  enhance  transparency, increase  accountability,  reform  electoral  process  and  incorporate  provisions  of  97 th Constitutional Amendment in the Multi State Cooperative Societies.
51. Cooperative Ombudsman: Following the amendment in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies  (MSCS)  Act,  2002,  Cooperative  Ombudsman  has  been  appointed  under Section 85A of the said Act vide gazette notification dated 05.03.2024. The Ombudsman office is  fully  functional  and  deals  with  complaints  or appeals,  from  members of the MSCS  regarding  their  deposits,  equitable  benefits  of  the  Multi-State  Co-operative Society's functioning or any other issue affecting the individual rights of the concerned member.
52. Cooperative Election Authority (CEA): Following the amendment in the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002, the Cooperative Election Authority has been set up to strengthen governance and accountability, with a mandate to conduct free and fair  election  in  all  MSCSs.  Elections  in  more  than  60  MSCS  have  been  conducted successfully.
53. Inclusion of Cooperatives as 'buyers' on GeM portal :    Government has permitted cooperatives to register as 'buyer' on GeM, enabling them to procure goods and services from over 67 lakhs vendors to facilitate economical purchases and greater transparency. So far, 574 cooperative societies have been onboarded on GeM as buyers. To date, 2,406 transactions have been done with transaction amount of Rs. 273.62 crores.
54. Expansion of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to increase its  range  and  depth :  NCDC  has  launched  new  schemes  in  various  sectors  such  as 'SwayamshaktiSahkar'  for  SHGs;  'Deerghavadhi  Krishak  Sahkar'  for  long  term agricultural credit and 'Dairy Sahkar' for dairy. During the current FY 2024-25, so far, total financial assistance of Rs. 52,533 crores has been disbursed by NCDC.
55. Financial assistance by NCDC for Deep Sea Trawlers : NCDC is providing financial assistance for projects related to deep sea trawlers in coordination with the Department of Fisheries, Government of India. NCDC has already sanctioned financial assistance of

Rs. 25.95 crore for purchase of total 44 deep sea trawlers for the Fisheries Cooperative Societies of Maharashtra and Gujarat State.

56. Refund to Investors of Sahara Group of Societies :  A  portal  has  been launched for making payments to the genuine depositors of the cooperative societies of Sahara Group in a transparent manner. Disbursements have already started after proper identification and submission of proof of their deposits and claims. So far, Rs.1248.71 crores have been disbursed to 8.23 lakhs applicants.

****