New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the pilot project of 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector,’ underway in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) of 11 states.

The world’s largest storage plan of 700 lakh metric tons initiated by the government will be completed in the next five years at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crores.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for construction of go-downs and other agriculture infrastructure under this initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, "These initiatives will be another milestone in the journey of Viksit Bharat."

He underlined that cooperatives have the potential to tackle the personal issues of farmers with collective strength and cited storage as pivotal to building that strength.

The PM said that it would enable farmers to store their produce and sell it at the right time according to their own needs.

During the event, Modi also inaugurated a project for computerization in 18,000 PACS across the country, aimed at "rejuvenating the cooperative sector and empowering small and marginal farmers.”

“Modernization of agricultural systems is equally important for the creation of a Viksit Bharat,” he said, highlighting the government’s endeavour to create a new role for government organizations such as PACS.

"These committees are functioning as Jan Aushadhi Kendras while thousands of PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras are also being operated," he said.

Listing out the benefits of digital payment and Direct Benefit Transfer, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for direct and digital payment by the PACS.

He also asked them to come forward for soil testing and make soil health card campaigns a success.

(With UNI inputs)