PACS to provide services to common public

Besides continuing the existing businesses, PACSs will also provide services to the common public by converting the societies into Common Service Centres

Karimnagar: Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), which are successfully running agricultural-based businesses, are preparing to foray into other businesses in the near future. Besides continuing the existing businesses, PACSs will also provide services to the common public by converting the societies into Common Service Centres.

Besides providing services to people in rural areas, strengthening the financial status of societies was the main aim of converting the societies into CSCs. In this regard, the Central government has also taken a decision.

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Besides sanctioning loans, seeds, fertilizer and pesticides are also being supplied to farmers by PACS. Some of the societies, which have constructed godowns, are renting them to store crops. Though some of the societies had successfully operated petrol bunks, they had been closed as the central government stopped the supply of subsidized fuel to bulk consumers.

If PACS were converted into CSCs, they would work like Mee Seva centres. Since adequate Mee Seva centres are not available in villages, CSCs will fulfill the needs of students, unemployed youth, pensioners and the common public in rural areas. Right from applying for certificates by the students to applying for various government schemes by the people will be possible with CSCs.

There are 128 PACS in the erstwhile Karimnagar district. A majority of the societies have already passed unanimous resolutions in support of the CSC move by conveying special meetings and have already sent resolution copies to the government. Secretaries and staff of selected societies would be given training in the coming ten to 15 days. District Cooperative Central Bank (DCCB) would guide and advise the officials of PACSs, which would come forward for CSCs. Banks would also give inputs if societies were arranged with basic facilities, officials said.