New Delhi, Sept 25: Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the government will soon announce a new Cooperative policy that will boost the rural society of India.

 Addressing the first National Cooperation Conference here, Shah said that about 91 per cent of villages in the country have small or big cooperative institutions and the Centre will work closely with the states to strengthen the cooperative movement.

Shah also announced the number of primary agriculture cooperatives (PACs) will be increased to 3 lakh in the next five years.

The objective of Prime Minister Modi behind setting up cooperation ministry is to make development accessible to the rural areas, to the most deprived of the rural areas, said Shah.

“Cooperation (Ministry) can make a very important contribution to the country’s development. We will have to think afresh, outline afresh, expand the scope of work, and bring transparency, added Shah.

Shah said cooperatives can contribute a lot in the development of the country and will play a crucial part in making India a USD 5 trillion economy.