Lok Sabha Question No. 1320 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-30
Subject: Single National Software Network
Ministry: COOPERATION
Asked by: Dr. Sambit Patra, Dr. Sambit Patra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1320 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30/07/2024

## Single National Software Network

## † 1320. DR. SAMBIT PATRA:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  link  Primary  Agriculture  Credit  Society  (PACS) with Single National Software Network under the digitization project and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the said software is likely to be above to perform the activities specified in the Model Bye-Laws and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the manner in which the efficiency of PACS is likely to be improved through the software being made for the computerization; and

(d) the manner in which the farmers are likely to be benefitted by computerization of PACS?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): Government of India is implementing the Project for Computerization of functional PACS with a total financial outlay of ₹2,516 Crore, which entails bringing all the functional PACS onto an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) based common national software, linking them  with  NABARD  through  State  Cooperative  Banks  (StCBs)  and  District  Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs). The National Level Common Software for the project has been developed  by  NABARD  and  25,904  PACS  have  been  onboarded  on  ERP  software  in  27 States/ UTs as on 21.07.2024.

In order to increase the viability of PACS and diversify their business activities to make them vibrant economic entities at Panchayat level, Model Byelaws for PACS have been prepared by the Government after consultation with all the stakeholders and circulated to all the States/ UTs on 5 th January, 2023 for their adoption by PACS after making suitable changes as per respective  State  Cooperative  Acts.  These  will  enable  PACS  to  diversify  their  business activities by undertaking more  than 25 business activities, including dairy, fishery, floriculture, setting up godowns, procurement of foodgrains, fertilizers, seeds, LPG/CNG/Petrol/Diesel distributorship, short-term &  long-term credit, custom hiring centers,  common  service  centers,  Fair  Price  Shops  (FPS),  community  irrigation,  Business Correspondent activities, etc. By adopting Model Byelaws, PACS would be able to serve as multi-service centers, catering to varied needs of member farmers in rural areas. They will help  in  improving  the  operational  efficiency,  transparency  and  accountability  of  PACS; providing  agricultural  credit  and  various  non-credit  services  to  the  farmer  members  thus giving them additional sources of income.

Computerization  of  PACS  project  aims  to  provide  a comprehensive  ERP  solution  for entailing more than 25 economic activities prescribed under the Model Bye-Laws for PACS covering various modules such as financial services for short, medium & long term loans, procurement  operations,  Public  Distribution  Shops  (PDS)  operations,  business  planning, warehousing, merchandising, borrowings, asset management, human resource management, etc.

So  far,  proposals  for  computerization  of  67,009  PACS  from  30  States/  UTs  have  been sanctioned,  for  which  Rs.  654.23  Cr.  has  been  released  as  GoI  share  to  the  States/UTs concerned.  Details  of  number  of  PACS  sanctioned  and  GoI  share  released  till  date  to States/UTs are enclosed as Annexure.

(c): The ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) based common national software brings about efficiency in PACS  performance through Common  Accounting System (CAS) and Management Information System (MIS). Further, governance and transparency in PACS also improves,  leading  to  speedy  disbursal  of  loans,  lowering  of  transaction  cost,  reduction  in imbalances  in  payments,  seamless  accounting  with  DCCBs  and  StCBs.  It  will  enhance trustworthiness in the working of PACS among farmers, thus contributing towards realizing the vision of 'Sahakar se Samridhi'.

(d): There are more than 13 Crore farmer members associated with about 1.05 lakh PACS. This  project  enhances  farmers  access  to  short-term,  medium-term  and  long-term  credit facilities. In addition, computerization of PACS also enables farmers to obtain these services at PACS level itself, through inclusion of different modules for various economic activities, as  mentioned  under  Model  Bye-Laws  for  PACS.  It  also  helps  in  diversification  of  PACS economic  activities,  thus  enabling  the  farmer  members  to  get  additional  &  sustainable sources of income.

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ANNEXURE

| Computerization of PACS Project   | Computerization of PACS Project   | Computerization of PACS Project   | Computerization of PACS Project   |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| S. No.                            | States                            | No. of PACS Sanctioned            | GoI Share released (in rupees)    |
| 1                                 | Andhra Pradesh                    | 2,037                             | 186,747,271                       |
| 2                                 | Arunachal Pradesh                 | 14                                | 2,700,000                         |
| 3                                 | Assam                             | 583                               | 88,625,000                        |
| 4                                 | Bihar                             | 4,495                             | 329,500,000                       |
| 5                                 | Chhattisgarh                      | 2,028                             | 148,600,000                       |
| 6                                 | Goa                               | 58                                | 4,450,000                         |
| 7                                 | Haryana                           | 710                               | 72,916,000                        |
| 8                                 | Himachal Pradesh                  | 870                               | 168,800,000                       |
| 9                                 | Jharkhand                         | 1,500                             | 109,900,000                       |
| 10                                | Karnataka                         | 5,491                             | 556,400,000                       |
| 11                                | Madhya Pradesh                    | 4,534                             | 586,525,000                       |
| 12                                | Maharashtra                       | 12,000                            | 1,215,950,000                     |
| 13                                | Manipur                           | 232                               | 25,500,000                        |
| 14                                | Meghalaya                         | 112                               | 12,300,000                        |
| 15                                | Mizoram                           | 25                                | 2,700,000                         |
| 16                                | Nagaland                          | 231                               | 28,168,555                        |
| 17                                | Punjab                            | 3,482                             | 255,200,000                       |
| 18                                | Rajasthan                         | 6,781                             | 670,786,131                       |
| 19                                | Sikkim                            | 107                               | 20,800,000                        |
| 20                                | Tamil Nadu                        | 4,532                             | 456,820,000                       |
| 21                                | Tripura                           | 268                               | 55,915,354                        |
| 22                                | Uttar Pradesh                     | 5,686                             | 535,841,650                       |
| 23                                | West Bengal                       | 4,167                             | 305,400,000                       |
| 24                                | Uttarakhand                       | 670                               | 36,874,057                        |
| 25                                | Gujarat                           | 5,754                             | 583,000,000                       |
| 26                                | Jammu &Kashmir                    | 537                               | 67,678,040                        |
| 27                                | Puducherry                        | 45                                | 6,075,000                         |
| 28                                | Andaman &Nicobar                  | 46                                | 6,881,462                         |
| 29                                | Ladakh                            | 10                                | 1,200,000                         |
| 30                                | DNH&DD                            | 4                                 | -                                 |
|                                   | Total                             | 67,009                            | 6,542,253,520                     |