Preface to Cooperative Movement in India

Preface to Cooperative Movement in India

Anger, sex, greed are three gates leading to hell. Three demons spoiled the soul of man and they should be, therefore, denounced and renounced.
- SHREEMAD BHAGVAT GEETA

The cooperative movement is as old as the Indian History. If we go deep in the rural history, we will find that the sources of income were minimal at that time. Before 1947, the agriculture was based on rain, but in many areas of the country people collectively digged well and drew water by CHURK-BURK SYSTEM. In this system, water was drawn with or without help of the bulls but the system was totally based on people's help only. Cooperative Movement was started in India in 1904, when we were under British Rule. The origin of cooperative is understood from Britain but actually the system already existed in India.

The Cooperative Societies Act 1912 was passed under the British rule. The rural economy was very much based on cooperatives. The people of villages made their own societies in the name of their villages and, later on, more than one societies were made in a village on the name of mohallas (ward). The cooperative societies were very much popular in village economy. The societies which were working in more than one states were covered under Multi Unit Cooperative Societies Act 1942. Further, Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984 was also enacted.

Although Cooperative Societies are working in many fields, but public, in general, is ignorant from the rules and regulations of cooperatives.

It is the need of the day that a sincere effort might be done so that the public may take the advantage of cooperatives instead of a few persons getting its benefits. Strong amendments in rules and bylaws are also needed so that the cooperative movement may get accelerated and all the system of cooperatives may become transparent.


Hukam Singh Bhati
Advocate, Supreme Court

From Sahakar Srijan