Cooperation Minister launches National Cooperative Database

New Delhi: Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched the National Cooperative Database which will help in the expansion and development of cooperatives in the country.

There are more than 8 lakh registered societies in the country, with over 30 crore people connected with them.

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National Cooperative Database is a web-based digital dashboard wherein data of cooperative societies, including national/state federations, have been captured. It has collected or mapped information about 8 lakh cooperatives.

Addressing the gathering at the launch function, Shah said that the Ministry of Cooperation is actively working to connect millions of people with the country's economy and development.

He emphasised that the cooperative database will play a crucial role in the expansion of cooperatives, digital development, and delivery through databases.

He explained that data works to guide development in the right direction and will be highly effective in analysing gaps..

"We are experiencing a new trend in this era data governance, proactive governance, and anticipatory governance. The synergy of these three leads to the establishment of a new development model," the minister said.

The minister said the database has the potential to connect primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) to Apex, villages to cities, mandis to the global market, and state databases to international databases.

He informed that in the campaign for the expansion of cooperatives initiated by the Narendra Modi government with the Whole of Government Approach, this database will play a crucial role in paving the way.

With the help of this platform, all information about registered cooperative societies across the country will be available at the click of a button, Shah said.

He added that the authenticity of the data in this database and its regular updates are ensured through a comprehensive scientific system. He assured that the Ministry of Cooperation will ensure that only verified data is regularly uploaded to this database.

On the occasion, Shah also unveiled 'National Cooperative Database 2023: A Report'.

Shah said after the 1960s, it was felt that there was a need for coordination among the cooperative movements of every state under a national policy.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking a bold decision, established the Ministry of Cooperation, leading it to fruition.

In the last two years, the minister said all PACS in the country have been computerised, and all states have accepted common bylaws to increase their business.

Shah also mentioned that the Modi government has created model bylaws as advisories, under which PACS have become multi-dimensional and can undertake various tasks.

All states in the country have risen above partisan politics and accepted these model bylaws, paving the way for the expansion of PACS, he said.

He further said the computerisation of PACS has opened up many possibilities for their development. It has been decided that by 2027, there will be a PACS in every village in the country.

The National Cooperative Database has been carried out in three phases.

In the first phase, mapping of about 2.64 lakh societies in three sectors -- Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Dairy, and Fisheries, was completed.

In the second phase, data from various national federations, state federations, state cooperative banks (StCB), district central cooperative banks (DCCB), urban cooperative banks (UCBs), state cooperative agriculture and rural development banks (SCARDB), primary agricultural and rural development banks (PCARDBs), cooperative sugar mills, district unions, and multi-state cooperative societies (MSCS) were collected/mapped.

In the third phase, data mapping of all the remaining 8 lakh primary cooperative societies in other sectors was carried out.

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