NEW DELHI, 22 July 2026: The Government of India has accelerated efforts to strengthen Punjab's cooperative sector through digitisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy cooperative expansion and rural infrastructure initiatives.
According to a written reply by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha, 3,482 PACS have been sanctioned under the Centre's Computerisation of PACS Project in Punjab, with 3,454 societies already onboarded onto Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, significantly improving digital governance and service delivery.
Since the launch of the project, the Centre has released INR 33.94 crore to Punjab. While INR 13.32 crore was allocated in 2024-25, no funds were released due to non-utilisation of previously sanctioned funds as per Department of Expenditure guidelines. Subsequently, INR 7.42 crore was released in 2025-26 against an allocation of INR 14.84 crore, followed by INR 1 crore in 2026-27 against an allocation of INR 4 crore.
Under the White Revolution 2.0 programme, Punjab has registered 1,027 new dairy cooperative societies while 951 existing dairy cooperatives have been strengthened, expanding the state's dairy cooperative network.
The Centre is also implementing the world's largest grain storage scheme in Punjab. The Food Corporation of India has identified a storage requirement of 5 lakh metric tonnes across nine districts. So far, the state has identified 30 PACS and cooperatives with a combined storage capacity of 2.84 lakh metric tonnes, although construction of the proposed warehouses is yet to begin.
To diversify rural cooperative businesses, the Ministry of Cooperation circulated model PACS bye-laws to states in January 2023, promoting inclusive membership with greater representation for women and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes. Punjab has adopted these model bye-laws, enabling PACS to expand into services such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras and Common Service Centres.
The initiatives form part of the Centre's broader strategy to modernise cooperative institutions, improve rural financial services and create sustainable business opportunities for cooperative societies across the state.
