4 February 2026·PIB

Beneficiaries of the schemes launched/initiatives taken under cooperatives

In this note

1. At a Glance

Ministry of Cooperation (carved out 6 July 2021) implements the "Sahkar se Samriddhi" vision; the cooperative ecosystem now spans PACS, dairy, fishery societies, women's coops, and depositor-protection portals. [2][3]
Examinable for GS-II (governance/welfare) and GS-III (agriculture, cooperative credit, rural economy) — focus on beneficiary numbers, fund disbursals, and new schemes (Bharat Taxi, Sahara Refund). [1]

PIB release dated 4 Feb 2026 quantified beneficiaries: 32,802 new multipurpose PACS/dairy/fishery societies registered, 15,793 existing societies strengthened, and large disbursals to women coops and Sahara depositors. [1]
Year Ender 2025 flagged 114 major initiatives in 4 years since the Ministry's creation. [2]

July 2021: Separate Ministry of Cooperation carved from Ministry of Agriculture; Shri Amit Shah as first Minister. [2]
29 June 2022: Cabinet approved Computerization of PACS — initial outlay ₹2,516 cr for 63,000 PACS; later expanded to 79,630 PACS, ₹2,925.39 cr, target 31 March 2027. [4]
2 Feb 2023: MoU among MoC, MeitY, NABARD and CSC SPV to enable PACS to offer 300+ e-services. [4]
2024-25: Launch of Bharat Taxi (cooperative-model ride app), e-Samyukti / e-Samridhi portals for MSP procurement, Sahara Refund Portal scaled up. [1][2]
25 April 2025: MoU with Swiggy for digital/market integration of cooperative products. [2]

Parent ministry: Ministry of Cooperation (Union). [2]
Vision tagline: Sahkar se Samriddhi (Prosperity through Cooperation). [2]
Key portals: e-Samyukti, e-Samridhi (MSP procurement registration); Sahara Refund Portal (depositor refunds); Bharat Taxi app. [1]
Constitutional backing: 97th Amendment Act, 2011 inserted Part IXB and Art. 43B (promotion of cooperatives). (Standing context)
Headline numbers (as of Feb 2026):
32,802 new PACS/dairy/fishery societies registered. [1]
15,793 existing societies strengthened. [1]
56 lakh+ farmers registered on e-Samyukti/e-Samridhi for MSP procurement. [1]
₹1,355.61 cr disbursed in FY 2024-25 to women's cooperatives, benefiting 41 lakh+ women. [1]
₹8,340.75 cr refunded to 39,28,648 Sahara depositors. [1][2]
Bharat Taxi: 2.5 lakh drivers (Saarthis) + 6.7 lakh customers registered. [1][2]
PACS Computerization: 51,836 PACS offering CSC services; >₹60 cr of transactions done; 30,210 PACS personnel trained from 564 districts / 25 states. [3]

Economic

PACS converted into multi-service rural nodes (banking + 300 e-services) deepens last-mile financial inclusion. [4]
Direct fiscal transfer (₹1,355.61 cr) to women coops boosts rural credit demand. [1]

Social

41 lakh women beneficiaries through women's cooperatives — gender mainstreaming in cooperative finance. [1]
39 lakh+ small depositors (mostly low-income) compensated via Sahara Refund Portal — restitutive justice. [1]

Administrative

Centrally Sponsored Scheme model with NABARD + CSC SPV + MeitY convergence; deadline 31 March 2027. [4]
New society registrations indicate federal cooperation with State Registrars of Cooperative Societies. [1]

Technological

Common software for PACS; integration with DigiLocker, GeM, FPO portal via CSC framework. [4]
Bharat Taxi demonstrates platform-cooperative model vs. private aggregators. [2]

Ethical / Governance

Sahara refund is a transparent, claim-verified disbursal rather than blanket bailout. [2]

25 April 2025 — MoU with Swiggy for cooperative product distribution. [2]
2024-25 — ₹1,355.61 cr disbursed to women coops. [1]
2025 — Launch of Bharat Taxi cooperative ride-hailing app. [1][2]
Dec 2025 — Year Ender notes 114 initiatives in 4 years. [2]
4 Feb 2026 — PIB statement quantifying beneficiaries. [1]

Ministry of Cooperation created on 6 July 2021. [2]
Bharat Taxi is a cooperative-model ride-hailing app; drivers are called "Saarthis". [1]
e-Samyukti and e-Samridhi portals are for MSP-guaranteed crop procurement registration. [1]
PACS Computerization Scheme approved 29 June 2022; revised outlay ₹2,925.39 cr covering 79,630 PACS. [4]
Implementing partners for PACS computerization: NABARD + CSC e-Governance + MeitY. [4]
Sahara Refund Portal disbursal as of Feb 2026: ₹8,340.75 cr to 39,28,648 depositors. [1]
Women cooperatives received ₹1,355.61 cr in FY 2024-25. [1]
32,802 new multipurpose PACS, dairy and fishery societies registered. [1]
PACS deadline for digitalisation: 31 March 2027. [4]
Cooperative software through PACS to deliver 300+ CSC e-services. [4]
MoC's MoU with Swiggy signed 25 April 2025. [2]

GS-II: Governance / Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections (women, small depositors).
GS-III: Indian Economy — cooperative credit, agriculture marketing, MSP.
Probable stems: 1. "Discuss how the recent expansion of PACS into multi-service centres can deepen rural financial inclusion." (GS-III) 2. "Examine the role of platform cooperatives such as Bharat Taxi in countering monopolistic gig-economy aggregators." (GS-III) 3. "Evaluate the Sahara Refund mechanism as a model of restitutive depositor protection." (GS-II)

97th Constitutional Amendment & Art. 43B — legal base for cooperatives.
Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023 — governance reform.
NABARD — refinance to cooperative credit structure.
NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) — flagship financier.
FPOs (10,000 FPO scheme) — overlap with PACS as primary producer bodies.
AMUL / IFFCO / KRIBHCO — flagship cooperative success stories.
Sahara Group SEBI case — origin of refund portal.
PM-AASHA / e-NAM — MSP procurement convergence with e-Samyukti.

Wrong ministry: PACS now under Ministry of Cooperation, not Ministry of Agriculture (post-July 2021).
PACS count confusion: original target 63,000 PACS was revised to 79,630. [4]
"Saarthi" terminology belongs to Bharat Taxi, not to Vahan Sarathi (MoRTH). [1]
Sahara refund is administered via MoC's portal but adjudicated under SC-monitored CRCS-Sahara mechanism — not a CBI/SEBI direct payout.
97th Amendment: SC (Rajendra Shah, 2021) struck down Part IXB qua state coops but Art. 43B stands — easy trap.