Ethanol & cooperatives must speed up in Chhattisgarh: Amit Shah

The Union Cooperative Minister Amit Shah has unveiled an ambitious plan to revitalize the cooperative sector in the central state of Chhattisgarh and it will have a special focus on ethanol production and maize cultivation.

During a review meeting in the capital city Raipur, Shah highlighted the importance of forging agreements between the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), and the state government to encourage maize farming.

Addressing ethanol production, Shah directed that multi-feed ethanol production plants be established in the remaining three cooperative sugar mills within the next six months. He as also promised central government support for these ethanol efforts.

The minister also called for the full registration of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) on the NAFED and NCCF portals to facilitate the sale of agricultural produce. Additionally, he proposed that traders, PACS, and cooperative societies should maintain mandatory accounts in District Cooperative Central Banks.

Shah also launched PACS as water committees in 33 districts and encouraged the state to develop a new public dairy scheme with a special focus on tribal development. He advocated for PACS to operate as multi-purpose units, integrating dairy and fisheries cooperatives.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to expanding the cooperative movement, Shah stated, “A cooperative society is being formed in every panchayat to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’.”

The event was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, and other officials. As part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, Shah planted saplings and inaugurated several state development projects.

Shah also called for leveraging the National Cooperative Database to identify arid areas in Chhattisgarh for cooperative expansion and stressed the need to transform every PACS into a common service center through digitalization.

He noted that all 2,058 PACS in Chhattisgarh have adopted model bye-laws and urged the state agriculture department to take the lead in promoting maize and pulse cultivation.