In a bid to enhance transparency, operational efficiency, and provide citizens quicker access to cooperative services, the government announced on Sunday its intention to computerise state cooperative registrars and 1,851 offices of the Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (ARDBs).
This ambitious project, which is part of a larger initiative to digitalise and streamline administrative operations, comes with a budget allocation of Rs 225.09 crore. This move follows the government's ongoing efforts to computerise Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) across the nation.
According to the Ministry of Cooperation, this centrally sponsored scheme will computerise 1,851 ARDB units in 13 states using a national unified software, drawing parallels to the PACS computerisation initiative. Furthermore, computerisation will be extended to the offices of Registrar of Cooperatives in all states and Union Territories.
A Central Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) is slated for establishment, with its primary role being to oversee the successful deployment of this scheme, which has a projected total cost of Rs 225.09 crore.
The successful rollout of this scheme is anticipated not only to improve accessibility of services provided by cooperative departments and ARDBs but also to foster a more uniform and efficient system of operations. This initiative is in line with the central government's comprehensive strategy to fortify cooperative societies throughout the country. The project will cover registrars in 28 states and eight union territories, underlining the extensive reach of this initiative1.
Moreover, in a related development, the Andhra government has decided to computerise the accounts of 2,051 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies as part of a broader move to bolster the cooperative sector. The cumulative efforts across different states depict a concerted push towards leveraging digital technology to enhance the cooperative sector, reflecting a nationwide drive towards operational modernisation and enhanced service delivery in the agricultural and rural development domains.
