SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has significantly boosted its cooperative sector, registering 1,611 new multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), dairy, and fisheries cooperative societies. This expansion is part of a nationwide initiative by the Government of India aimed at establishing cooperative societies in all panchayats and villages across the country.
Information was available with The Chenab Times detailing that out of the total registrations in Jammu and Kashmir, 232 are PACS, 1,339 are dairy cooperatives, and 40 are fisheries cooperatives. These figures were part of data from the National Cooperative Database, which was presented by the Ministry of Cooperation in a Rajya Sabha reply on Wednesday.
The neighbouring Union Territory of Ladakh has also contributed to this initiative, registering seven new cooperative societies, comprising three PACS, three dairy cooperatives, and one fisheries cooperative. Together, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh account for 1,618 of the 38,138 new cooperative societies established nationwide since the plan’s approval on February 15, 2023. The data reflecting these numbers was updated as of July 15, 2026.
Jammu and Kashmir’s substantial registration of 1,611 new cooperatives places it among the leading performing States and Union Territories in this national program. The region ranks tenth nationally in terms of total registrations. Furthermore, it has surpassed many states in registering new dairy cooperatives, with only Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh registering more such societies.
The Government of India’s five-year plan is designed to foster the creation of new multipurpose PACS, dairy, and fisheries cooperatives with the overarching goal of ensuring every panchayat and village across India has access to such cooperative structures. This ambitious project receives support from key national organizations, including NABARD, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), and the respective State and Union Territory governments, as stated by the Ministry of Cooperation.
On a national scale, the initiative has seen the registration of 10,230 new PACS, 25,552 dairy cooperatives, and 2,356 fisheries cooperatives, bringing the cumulative total to 38,138 new societies. Rajasthan leads the country with 5,329 new cooperative societies, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 6,328 and Bihar with 4,561. Madhya Pradesh has registered 2,284 new societies, while Odisha recorded 2,609, Maharashtra 1,602, and Karnataka 1,581.
The Ministry of Cooperation confirmed that the data concerning the formation of these new cooperatives was sourced from the National Cooperative Database. These figures were officially disclosed by Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah in response to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1124, highlighting the government’s focus on strengthening the cooperative movement at the grassroots level.
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