Chandigarh, September 8 – Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the state government is taking firm steps toward women’s empowerment and self-reliance through cooperatives. He directed that Vita booths be allotted to women on priority so they can achieve economic independence. He also ordered that up to 50 percent of these booths be reserved for women and that suitable locations be identified quickly. Similarly, the process of forming and running Women PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) will be accelerated to involve rural women in economic activities.
The Chief Minister was presiding over a high-level review meeting of the Cooperative Department at the Chandigarh Civil Secretariat on Monday.
He instructed that all cooperative banks in the state be equipped with modern IT facilities to provide farmers and consumers with transparent, efficient, and timely services. Payments from government schemes, including subsidies under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, will be routed directly through cooperative banks.
Saini also directed that the registration process for new PACS be made simpler and more transparent. He added that cooperative sugar mills should provide farmers with sugarcane harvesting machines at low rent, which will reduce labor and production costs while boosting output.
The Chief Minister further ordered an increase in the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the state. These centers will be set up near hospitals and health institutions so that affordable, quality medicines are easily available to the public.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Principal Secretary to CM Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of the Cooperative Department Vijayendra Kumar, Cooperative Registrar Rajesh Jogpal, and OSD to the CM Bharat Bhushan Bharti.
