Total 24,470 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) are functioning as Common Service Centres (CSC) in the country, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament. That apart, 28,648 PACS are operating as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSKs) in 18 states and Union Territories for ensuring easy accessibility of fertilizers, pesticides and related services to farmers in the country, he said. The government aims to operationalize PMKSKs in all the PACS. ACS functioning as PMKSKs will serve as ‘One Stop Shop’ for farmers, thus improving their access to various agriculture-related inputs and services. This initiative will benefit PACS by enabling them to diversify their offerings and providing a stable and additional source of income and generating employment opportunities at the panchayat/village level. Through this initiative, common citizens, especially in rural areas, will be able to access more than 300 e-services, including banking, insurance, Aadhar enrolment/updation, health services, and agricultural services. In addition, this initiative will provide additional sources of income to PACS, ultimately benefiting crores of small and marginal farmers associated with them. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD, and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd to enable PACS to deliver more than 300 e-services to rural citizens of the country.