What happened
The Ministry of Cooperation informed Rajya Sabha that Maharashtra had 2,27,177 cooperative societies on the National Cooperative Database as on 15 July 2026. The ministry also said that the Central Sector project for computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), launched in 2022, has been expanded beyond its initial coverage.
The project was first approved for 63,000 PACS with a financial outlay of ₹2,516 crore. The revised project now covers 79,630 PACS with a revised outlay of ₹2,925.39 crore. The stated objective is to bring functional PACS onto a common Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)-based national software and link PACS with NABARD through State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks.
Maharashtra-specific implementation
The ministry said 12,178 PACS have been sanctioned under the computerisation project in Maharashtra. Financial assistance of ₹29.14 crore has been provided to the state, including support in FY 2025–26 and FY 2026–27.
The ministry also said that the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) had cumulatively disbursed ₹34,161.54 crore for the development of the cooperative sector in Maharashtra as on 30 June 2026. The state’s cooperative structure is broad, with large numbers in housing, PACS/LAMPS/FSS, credit and thrift, dairy, labour, fisheries, and other cooperative categories.
Related current affairs
- National Cooperative Database (NCD): Coverage of cooperatives and status of PACS/M-PACS, computerization and ERP onboarded
- Central Sector Project for Computerization of PACS; new multipurpose cooperative PACS planned
- Strengthening of cooperative societies in Odisha via PACS computerization and development initiatives
- Central Assistance for Computerisation of PACS and Strengthening Cooperative Institutions in Karnataka
- Digital technology push in cooperative sector under “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”
- Madhya Pradesh: 680 new PACS registered; Ujjain district PACS digitalised under computerisation project