LUCKNOW, July 2 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has revived 16 defunct district cooperative banks, with 46 of the state's 50 district cooperative banks now operating in profit, making Uttar Pradesh a model for the cooperative sector, cooperative minister JPS Rathore said on Wednesday. Addressing a programme marking the fifth foundation day of the ministry of cooperation, Rathore said the cooperative sector was in poor shape before 2017, with several district cooperative banks shut and most Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) inactive. He said reforms introduced by the BJP government had transformed the sector, with cooperative banks posting a combined profit of Rs.152.78 crore in 2025-26. Rathore said 6,840 multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (M-PACS) had been provided interest-free loans of up to Rs.15 lakh for fertiliser business, up from Rs.10 lakh. These societies generated business worth around Rs.7,000 crore, earning nearly Rs.200 crore. During the department's membership drive, over 5.4 million new members were added between 2023 and 2025, contributing Rs.113 crore in share capital. More than two lakh new accounts were opened in district cooperative banks, attracting fresh deposits of around Rs.550 crore, he said. Deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak, who inaugurated the state-level Cooperative Week, said the sector had witnessed rapid progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah....