Cooperative movement in India : critical appraisal

The present Volume makes a comprehensive and critical survey of the Cooperative movement in India. It traces the development of various types of cooperatives functioning in the country, particularly after attainment of Independence.

Divided into 5 parts the book comprises 20 chapters. Part I is Introductory and deals with three aspects viz. Concept and Principles of Cooperation, Cooperation in Foreign Countries and History and Development of Cooperative Movement in India. In Part II, Cooperative in the Agricultural Sector, Rural Finance and Cooperatives; Central Financing Agencies and Integrated Rural Development; Agricultural Supplies and Marketing; Cooperative Processing; other Agricultural Cooperative such as dairying, fisheries, poultry, sheep and goat, piggeries and irrigation, and Cooperative

Farming ore discussed. Part III Cooperation in the Non Agricultural Sector covers Consumers Cooperatives, Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies, Industrial Cooperatives, Cooperative Housing, Transport and Other Urban Cooperatives.

Part IV Cooperation and Social Welfare contains three Chapters viz. Social Welfare and Cooperatives which deals with social welfare activities undertaken by societies having large resources such as cooperative sugar factories or marketing societies and cooperatives functioning in the social welfare field like better living societies, public health and medical aid societies, women's cooperatives, education and arbitration societies. Next chapter deals with weaker sections and Cooperatives, the working of cooperative among tribals, scheduled castes and other rural poor and special privileges given to them by government in recent years. The last Chapter discusses specialised cooperatives for weaker section, such as the working of Labour and Construction cooperatives, Forest labour cooperatives, cooperative forming societies among agricultural landless labourer, ex-service men cooperatives, Rickshow pullers cooperative, etc.Part V Cooperatives Administration, Education and Training covers the last four Chapters. The first two chapters of this part discuss State Cooperative Administration and Legislation; and Cooperative Education and Training. While the third chapter deals with International Cooperative Alliance and Inter cooperative Relation.

The concluding Chapter gives a Critical

Appraisal of the Cooperative Movement

as a whole.

The conclusion drawn is that although there has been much expansion and diversification of cooperatives after Independence with active support from the government, (the two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat having done commendable job) yet the true spirit of Cooperation is yet to be created among the educated-Indians and village leaders who generally exploit the situation to their own advantage, Ignoring the claims of weaker section. The author has done commendable work in producing Innovative work of this kind which will stimulate other specialists to do some more serious research on the subject.