Ahmedabad, Apr 6 (PTI) An interest-free loan and support to invest in his farm have ushered in better days, said Umaid Thakore, a farmer from Chiloda village in Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

For Thakore and many other small farmers like him, financial struggles once made agriculture a daunting pursuit. However, the state's digitised Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) initiative has turned agriculture into a greener pasture, he said.

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PACS, the grass-roots level arms of the short-term co-operative credit structure, make credit access easy and has helped farmers like Thakore tide over financial tension and uncertainties that came with reliance on loan sharks, said officials.

“When I went to the 'mandali' (PACS), the manager said I should submit all my documents to the panchayat. I submitted the documents to the panchayat, and after joining the group, I got the loan,” said Thakore, adding that the digitised PACS has brought in better days for him.

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Chiloda village, a model PACS, now operates with the latest computers, biometric tools, and digital records, enhancing banking for farmers. It was made possible by the Gujarat government's ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi' (Prosperity through Cooperation), launched in 2023-24.

The government now plans to digitise 5,754 of the 10,000 PACS in the state in its first phase.

The government has allocated Rs 4 lakh per PACS, with 2,900 societies set to transition to e-PACS soon and a full transition expected within six months, officials said.

Farmer Ramanbhai Patel, who is also from Thakore's village and has benefited from the scheme, called it a “game-changer”.

“With easy access to credit and a streamlined online process, I no longer have to worry about loan sharks or financial uncertainties,” he said.

Patel said he has bought a tractor with the money availed through the PACS.

“It is economical compared to private banks. There were no charges for these files. And the loan money can also be easily repaid,” he said.

This initiative aims to help farmers by making loan processing faster, more transparent, and accessible, officials said.

“We are putting farming to use. Farming is getting robust. If you want to set up any kind of facility, build a shed or do any work, it can be done,” Gujarat's Cooperation Minister Jagdish Vishwakarma said.

Manager of Chiloda Seva Sahkari Mandali, Jayanti Patel, said a farmer first has to become a member of the cooperative society. After assessing his financial condition, the PACS facilitates funds for him.

This state-led effort aligns with the Centre's Rs 2,516-crore nationwide plan to digitise 63,000 PACS by 2027, a key component of the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, officials said.

With faster operations, reduced fraud, and greater credit access, the state hopes to empower its rural population through digital financial inclusion, they added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)