The Ministry of Cooperation is the union ministry responsible for co-operative policy, based at Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan, CGO Complex, New Delhi.
Its existence changes the picture this site describes. Co-operatives are a state subject, and for most of the history of pigmy collection the only authority over a credit society was its state Registrar. A central ministry now sets direction, funds projects and publishes national figures, without displacing that Registrar.
The numbers it publishes
The Ministry records about 29 crore people directly connected to co-operatives in India, and counts:
| Type of society | Number | Members |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Agricultural Credit Societies | 1,01,718 | 13 crore |
| Primary dairy co-operatives | 1,40,946 | 1.5 crore |
| Primary fishery co-operatives | 25,572 | 38 lakh |
It plans to establish viable co-operatives in every panchayat, with an initial focus on 2,00,000 PACS, dairy and fishery co-operatives within five years.
What it funds
The Ministry funds the Centrally Sponsored Project for Computerisation of PACS, approved 29 June 2022, covering 63,000 societies at ₹2,516 crore over 2022-23 to 2026-27, with NABARD implementing. It also convenes an Inter-Ministerial Committee to align dairy and fisheries schemes with co-operative strengthening.
What it does not do
It is not a banking regulator. Deposit insurance, banking licences and doorstep-banking conduct remain with the Reserve Bank and DICGC. None of the Ministry's strengthening work makes a credit society's deposits insured, which stays the single most consequential fact for anyone handing cash to a collector.