Lok Sabha Question No. 2614 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-19
Subject: FPO in Cooperative Sector
Ministry: COOPERATION
Asked by: Pradeep Kumar Singh, Raju Bista, Pushpendra Singh Chandel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2614 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19/12/2023

## FPO in Cooperative Sector

## †2614. SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI RAJU BISTA: SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

Will the Minister of COOPERATION ( सहकाįरता मंũी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the steps being taken by the Ministry to constitute and promote Farmer Produce Organisations (FPOs) in the cooperative sector;
- (b) the details of FPOs constituted in Cooperative Sector, State-wise;
- (c) the  manner  in  which  the  said  FPOs  are  likely  to  benefit  farmers  who  are  associated  with Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS); and
- (d) the manner in which the said steps are likely to help strengthen the cooperative sector in the country and increase the income of PACS?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COOPERATION सहकाįरता मंũी (SHRI AMIT SHAH)

(a): The Government of India has launched the Central Sector Scheme for 'Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)' in the year 2020 with a total budgetary outlay of Rs.6,865 crore which aim at enabling farmers to enhance their bargaining power, leverage economies of  scale,  reduction  in  cost  of  production  and  enhancing  farmers'  incomes  through  aggregation  of their agricultural produce, thus playing a major role towards sustainable incomes.

The  Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare  has informed that there are 14 Implementing  Agencies  (IAs)  under  the  scheme  viz.  Small  Farmers'  Agri-Business  Consortium (SFAC), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperative Development  Corporation  (NCDC),  National  Agricultural  Cooperative  Marketing  Federation  of India Ltd. (NAFED) etc. for formation and promotion of FPOs either under Companies Act or Cooperative Societies Act of the concerned States.

Under the scheme, NCDC is exclusively promoting FPOs in the cooperative sector. An initial target for formation and promotion of 763 cooperative FPOs was allocated to NCDC, against which 672 FPOs have been registered under respective State Cooperative Acts.

Further, additional target of 1,100 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) has been allocated to NCDC by the Government of India for formation and promotion of FPOs in cooperative sector, through  strengthening  of  Primary  Agricultural  Cooperative  Credit  Societies  (PACS).  Against  the target of 1,100 FPOs, selection and allocation of 645 blocks has been completed.

## (b): The State/UT-wise total number of FPOs registered under respective State Cooperative Act is as mentioned below:

| S.No.   | State/UT          |   No. of FPOs registered under Cooperative Act |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| 1.      | Andhra Pradesh    |                                             67 |
| 2.      | Arunachal Pradesh |                                              3 |
| 3.      | Assam             |                                             18 |
| 4.      | Bihar             |                                             63 |
| 5.      | Chhattisgarh      |                                             32 |
| 6.      | Gujarat           |                                             50 |
| 7.      | Haryana           |                                             21 |
| 8.      | Himachal Pradesh  |                                             20 |
| 9.      | Jammu &Kashmir    |                                             46 |
| 10.     | Jharkhand         |                                             30 |
| 11.     | Karnataka         |                                             34 |
| 12.     | Kerala            |                                             16 |
| 13.     | Lakshadweep       |                                              1 |
| 14.     | Madhya Pradesh    |                                             26 |
| 15.     | Maharashtra       |                                             25 |
| 16.     | Manipur           |                                              4 |
| 17.     | Meghalaya         |                                             12 |
| 18.     | Mizoram           |                                              7 |
| 19.     | Nagaland          |                                             16 |
| 20.     | Odisha            |                                             17 |
| 21.     | Puducherry        |                                              3 |
| 22.     | Punjab            |                                             11 |
| 23.     | Rajasthan         |                                             32 |
| 24.     | Sikkim            |                                             13 |
| 25.     | Tamil Nadu        |                                             49 |
| 26.     | Telangana         |                                             31 |
| 27.     | Tripura           |                                             17 |
| 28.     | Uttar Pradesh     |                                             67 |
| 29.     | Uttarakhand       |                                             33 |
| 30.     | West Bengal       |                                             28 |
|         | Grand Total       |                                            792 |

(c) & (d): To strengthen the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS), Government of  India  has  allocated  a  target  of  formation  of  1,100  new  FPOs  through  members  of  PACS.  It  is aimed  at  strengthening  the  existing  PACS  through  remunerative  prices  for  their  produce  by providing  them  necessary  market  linkages  through  District,  State  and  National  level  federations, further leading to diversification in the economic activities of PACS and enabling them to generate new and stable sources of income.

Under the  scheme,  FPOs  are  being  provided  financial  assistance  upto  Rs.18.00  lakh  for  a period of 3 years. In  addition,  provision  has  been  made  for contribution of matching  equity  grant upto  Rs.  2,000  per  farmer  member  of  FPO  with  a  limit  of  Rs.15.00  lakh  and  a  credit  guarantee facility  upto  Rs.2  crore  of  project  loan  per  FPO  from  eligible  lending  institution  to  ensure institutional credit accessibility to FPOs.

Further, in  order to realise the vision of 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi', Government of India has taken  various  initiatives  to  economically  strengthen  PACS.  The  details  of  initiatives  taken  by  the Ministry of Cooperation for development of Cooperative Sector is enclosed at Annexure-I.

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## 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. Model Byelaws have been adopted by 31 States/ UTs so far.
2. Strengthening of PACS through Computerization :  In  order  to  strengthen  PACS,  project for Computerization of  63,000 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 62,318 PACS from 28 States/ UTs have been sanctioned under the project. Software is ready and trials have already started in 5,673 PACS in 26 States/ UTs so far.
3. New  Multipurpose  PACS/  Dairy/  Fishery  Cooperatives  in  uncovered  Panchayats :  A proposal has been approved by the Government to set up new multi-purpose PACS or primary dairy/  fisheries  cooperatives  covering  every  Panchayat/  village  in  the  next  five  years,  with support of NABARD, NDDB, NFDB, NCDC and other National level Federations. As reported by  the  States/  UTs,  the  process  for  registering  9,961  new  PACS/  Dairy/  Fishery  cooperative societies in 24 States/ UTs is in various stages.
4. World's Largest Decentralized Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative sector :  Government has approved a plan to create warehouses, custom hiring centres, primary processing units and other agri-infra for grain storage at PACS level, by converging various schemes of Government such as 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.  22  States/  UTs  and  National  level  Cooperative  Federations  such  as National  Cooperative  Consumers  Federation  (NCCF)  and  National  Agricultural  Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), have identified 1,711 PACS for creation of storage capacity under the Pilot Project. At present, construction is going in 13 PACS of 13 States/ UTs under the Pilot Project.
5. PACS as Common Service Centers (CSCs) for better access to  e-services :  MoU  has  been signed  between  Ministry  of  Cooperation,  MeitY,  NABARD  and  CSC  e-Governance  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, 24,470 PACS have started providing CSC services to the rural citizens which will also result in increase in income of those PACS at the same time.

## Annexure-I

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.  This  will  be  helpful  in  providing  the  farmers  with  necessary  market linkage 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), a total of 228 PACS have applied online for retail petrol/ diesel outlets.
8. PACS given permission to convert bulk consumer petrol pumps into retail outlets : Based on the discussions with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, guidelines have been issued to convert the existing bulk consumer licensee PACS into retail outlets for increasing the profit of PACS and generate employment opportunities in rural areas. 109 PACS from 5 States having wholesale consumer pumps have given consent for conversion into Retail Outlets, out of which 43 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 create new employment opportunities in rural areas. Two locations have already been advertised in the State of Jharkhand.
10. PACS as PM Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra for improving access to generic medicines at rural level :  Government  is  promoting  PACS  to  operate  Pradhan  Mantri Bhartiya  Janaushadhi Kendras which will provide additional income source to them and provide easy access of generic medicines to rural citizens. So far, 4,289 PACS/ cooperative societies have applied online for PM Janaushadhi Kendras, out of which 2,293 PACS have been given initial approval also.
11. PACS as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSK): Government is promoting PACS  to  operate  PMKSK  for  ensuring  easy  accessibility  of  fertilizer  &  related  services  to farmers  in  the  country.  As  per  the  information  shared  by  States/  UTs,  28,648  PACS  are functioning as PMKSK so far.
12. Convergence of PM-KUSUM at PACS level :  Farmers associated with PACS can adopt solar agricultural water pumps and install photovoltaic modules in their farms.
13. PACS to carry out O&M of rural piped water supply schemes (PWS) : In order to utilize the reach of PACS in rural areas, on the initiative of the Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has made PACS as eligible agencies to carry out the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) of  PWS in rural areas. As per information received  from  States/ UTs, 1,381 PACS have  been identified by 12 States/ UTs to provide O&M services at Panchayat/ Village level.
14. Micro-ATMs  to  Bank  Mitra  Cooperative  Societies  for  providing  doorsteps  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'.  As  a  pilot  project,  1,723  Micro-ATMs  have  been distributed  to  Bank  Mitra  cooperative  societies  in  Panchmahal  and  Banaskantha  Districts  of 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 enable other financial transactions. As a  pilot  project,  73,503  Rupay  KCC  have  been  distributed  in  Panchmahal  and  Banaskantha Districts of Gujarat.
16. Formation  of  Fish  Farmer  Producer  Organization  (FFPO) :  In  order  to  provide  market linkage and providing processing facilities to the fishermen, NCDC has registered 69 FFPOs in the initial phase. Department of Fisheries, Government of India has further allocated conversion of  1000 existing fisheries cooperative societies into FFPOs to NCDC, with an approved outlay of Rs 225.50 crore.

## B. Strengthening the Urban and Rural Cooperative Banks

17. 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.
18. UCBs have been allowed by RBI to offer doorstep services to their customers: Door  step banking facility can now be provided by the UCBs. Account holders associated with 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.
19. 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 process for technical write-off as well as settlement with borrowers.
20. 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.
21. 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 as well.
22. Individual housing loan limit more than doubled by RBI for Rural and Urban Co-operative Banks:
- a. Housing loan limit of Urban cooperative banks have now been doubled from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh.
- b. Housing loan limit of Rural cooperative banks has been increased to two and a half times to Rs 75 lakh.
23. Rural Co-operative Banks will now be able to lend to commercial real estate/ residential housing sector, thereby diversifying their business : This will not only help Rural co-operative banks to diversify their business, but benefit Housing co-operative societies also.
24. 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 their fingerprints.
25. Non-scheduled UCBs, StCBs and DCCBs notified as Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) in CGTMSE Scheme to increase the share of cooperatives in lending: The co-operative 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  co-operative banks now.
26. Notification of Scheduling norms for including Urban Co-operative 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.
27. 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.
28. 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 operation support to around 1,500 UCBs.

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

29. 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.
30. MAT reduced for cooperatives from 18.5% to 15%: With this provision, now there is parity between Cooperative Societies and Companies in this regard.
31. 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.
32. 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.

33. 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.
34. 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 liquidity of the cooperative society.

## D. Revival of Cooperative Sugar Mills

35. Relief  from Income Tax to Sugar Cooperative Mills :  Government has issued a clarification that Sugar cooperative 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.
36. 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 a relief of more than Rs.10,000 crores.
37. 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. Loan amount of Rs. 3,010 cr. has been sanctioned by NCDC to 24 Cooperative Sugar Mills so far.
38. 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).
39. 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 its members by selling molasses to distilleries with higher margins.

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

40. 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. 8,200 PACS/ cooperative societies from 27 States/ UTs have applied to become its members so far.
41. 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. 2,475 PACS/ cooperative societies from 24 States/ UTs have applied to become its members so far. 6 organic products have already been launched by NCOL so far.
42. 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. 2,625 PACS/ cooperative societies from 22 States/ UTs have applied to become its members so far. Till date, NCEL has got permission to export 14.92 LMT rice to 16 countries and 50,000 MT sugar to 2 countries.

## F. Capacity Building in Cooperatives

43. Establishment of the Cooperative University: Steps are being taken by Ministry of Cooperation  for  setting  up  of  a  National  Cooperative  University  for  Cooperative education, training, consultancy, research and development and a sustainable and quality supply of trained manpower.
44. Promotion of training and awareness through National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT) :  By  increasing its  reach,  NCCT has  conducted 3,287 training programs and provided training to 2,01,507 participants in FY 2022-23.

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

45. 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.
46. Scheme for computerization of office of RCSs in States and Union Territories : To increase 'Ease of doing business' for Cooperative Societies and create a digital ecosystem for transparent paperless regulation in all States/Union Territories, a Centrally Sponsored Project for computerization of RCS Offices has been approved by the Government. Grants will be provided for purchase of hardware, development of software, etc. to the States/ UTs.
47. 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)  has  been  approved  by  the  Government. NABARD is the implementing agency for the project and will develop a national level software for  ARDBs. Hardware, support for Digitization of  legacy data,  training  to the employees, etc. will be provided under the project.

## H. Other Initiatives

48. 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 around 7.86 lakh cooperatives has been captured in the database.

49. Formulation of New National Cooperative Policy : A National level committee comprising 49 experts and stakeholders drawn from all over the Country has been constituted to formulate the New  National  Cooperative  Policy  for  enabling  a  vibrant  ecosystem  to  realize  the  vision  of 'Sahakar-se-Samriddhi'.
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. Inclusion  of  Cooperatives  as  'buyers'  on  GeM  portal :    Government  has  permitted  the cooperatives to register as 'buyer' on GeM, enabling them to procure goods and services from nearly over 67 lakh vendors to facilitate economical purchases and greater transparency. So far, 559 cooperative societies have been onboarded on GeM as buyers.
52. Expansion of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to increase its range and depth : NCDC has launched new schemes in various sectors such as 'Swayamshakti Sahkar' for SHGs; 'Deerghavadhi Krishak Sahkar' for long term agricultural credit and 'Dairy Sahkar' for  dairy.  Total  financial  assistance of  Rs.  41,024 Crores  has  been  disbursed by NCDC  in  FY 2022-23,  which  is  almost  20%  higher  than  the  disbursement  of  Rs.34,221  crore  in  2021-22. Government of India has permitted NCDC to issue bonds worth ₹2000 crore with government guarantee, subject to the adherence of specified terms and conditions. Further, NCDC is setting up sub-offices in 6 North Eastern States - Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura with the objective of taking various national schemes to the cooperative societies at their doorstep.
53. 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 20.30 crore for purchase of 14 deep sea trawlers for the Fisheries Cooperative Societies of Maharashtra.
54. 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. Disbursement have already started after proper identification and submission of proof of their deposits and claims.

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