Digital push: Sahakar Sarathi and 13+ services
Shri Shah said the Sahakar Sarathi suite developed by NABARD will digitally enable cooperative banks and primary agricultural credit societies (PACS). Services announced include Digi KCC (digital Kisan Credit Card), Campaign Sarathi, Website Sarathi, Shiksha Sarathi, the Cooperative Governance Index and the World’s Largest Grain Storage Application.
These services, the minister said, will standardise processes such as KYC, disbursement, recovery and real-time transaction tracking across cooperative banks. Farmers with KCCs will gain access to enhanced digital facilities and an e-KCC that the government says will match international card services in convenience.
PACS in every panchayat; cooperative GDP ambition
Announcing a bold institutional expansion, Shri Shah said the government plans to open a PACS in every panchayat. The objective, he said, is to expand cooperative membership to more than 50 crore active members and significantly increase the cooperative sector’s contribution to GDP.
The minister highlighted a Gujarat model integration of markets, dairies and PACS under district cooperative umbrellas which led to a surge in low-cost deposits and greater credit capacity. He proposed a nationwide replication of that model to unlock priority sector lending potential and strengthen rural credit flows.
New products: Sahakar Taxi, Cooperative Insurance and circular economy
Among the innovations announced was Sahakar Taxi, a cooperative taxi service conceived to operate at scale; over 51,000 drivers have already registered during pilot phases. Shri Shah also revealed plans for Cooperative Insurance covering health, life, agriculture and accident policies under cooperative structures to increase coverage and reduce costs for rural members.
He emphasised that expanding circular-economy practices in cooperatives particularly in dairy and allied sectors has indigenised products and ensured direct benefits to farmers. A national lab network for organic production and export pipelines was also flagged as part of a plan to boost certified organic farming and expand exports.
Implementation, monitoring and the way ahead
Shri Shah said the Earth Summit series will culminate next year in Delhi with an integrated policy roadmap combining inputs from the various summits. He called for data-driven expansion of cooperatives, using software systems to identify gaps and prioritise regions for intervention.
The minister described cooperation as a “Kalpavriksha” a people-centred model that, if implemented effectively, will connect livelihoods across agriculture, fisheries, dairy and allied sectors.
