Agricultural Cooperation

Concepts & History:

1. Cooperation means working together for mutual benefit.
2. The word ‘Cooperation’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Cooperari’, meaning to work together.
3. The Father of the Cooperative Movement is Robert Owen (Britain).
4. The Father of the Cooperative Movement in India is Sir Frederic Nicholson (1895).
5. Nicholson’s Report (1895) led to the establishment of Cooperative Credit Societies.
6. The Cooperative Movement in India was started to eliminate the exploitation of farmers by moneylenders.
7. Cooperative Principles were laid down by the Rochdale Pioneers (1844).
8. Rochdale Principles include open membership, democratic control, and limited interest on capital.
9. Cooperation is based on the ‘one man, one vote’ principle.
10. The Mutual aid principle forms the base of cooperation.

Acts & Committees:

1. The Cooperative Credit Societies Act was passed in 1904.
2. The Cooperative Societies Act (Amendment) was passed in 1912.
3. All India Rural Credit Survey Committee (AIRCSC) was set up in 1951; its 1954 report gave a strong push to the cooperative credit system.
4. The Ministry of Cooperation was formed on 6 July 2021 by the Government of India.
5. The National Cooperative Policy was announced in 2002.

Credit Structure:

1. The three-tier structure of cooperative credit: PACS → DCCB → SCB.
2. PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) operate at the village level.
3. DCCB (District Central Cooperative Banks) function at the district level.
4. SCB (State Cooperative Bank) operates at the state level.
5. Short-term cooperative credit is for crop loans and seasonal operations.
6. Long-term cooperative credit is provided by Land Development Banks (LDBs).
7. Land Mortgage Banks (LMBs) were started in 1920 in Punjab.

Institutions & Federations:

1. NABARD supervises and refinances cooperative credit institutions.
2. National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was established in 1963 to promote cooperative marketing and processing.
3. Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) was established in 1967.
4. KRIBHCO (Krishak Bharati Cooperative) was established in 1980.
5. Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited) – India’s largest dairy cooperative, started in 1946.
6. The Founder of the Amul Cooperative Movement is Dr. Verghese Kurien, known as the Father of the White Revolution in India.
7. Registrar of Cooperative Societies supervises registration and functioning.
8. VAMNICOM – Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management, Pune.
9. Cooperative training is imparted through NCCT (National Council for Cooperative Training).

Types of Cooperatives:

1. Cooperative marketing societies help in the collective sale of farmers’ produce (first started in 1915 at Hubli, Karnataka).
2. Cooperative processing societies handle the processing of agricultural goods.
3. Cooperative farming societies pool land and share profits collectively.
4. Consumer cooperative societies help members get goods at fair prices.
5. Housing cooperative societies provide housing facilities to members.
6. Cooperative sugar mills are common in Maharashtra.

Challenges:

• Weakness of cooperatives includes political interference, poor management, and overdues.

Rural Development

Concepts & Objectives:

1. Rural Development aims to improve the living standards of rural people.
2. Its main objectives are poverty alleviation, employment generation, and providing basic amenities.
3. Integrated Rural Development involves coordination of all sectors.
4. Self-reliance and a participatory approach are key principles of rural development.

Programmes & Schemes:

1. Community Development Programme (CDP) was launched on 2 October 1952.
2. National Extension Service (NES) was launched in 1953.
3. Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was launched in 1978–79 to provide income-generating assets.
4. TRYSEM (Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment) started in 1979.
5. DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) was launched in 1982–83.
6. JRY (Jawahar Rozgar Yojana) was launched in 1989 by merging NREP and RLEGP.
7. Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) started in 1993–94.
8. SGSY (Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana) was launched in 1999 and later restructured into NRLM in 2011.
9. NRLM/DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission) aims at promoting self-employment and SHGs.
10. MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) was enacted in 2005 and guarantees 100 days of wage employment per household.
11. PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) was launched in 2000 for rural roads.
12. PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin) provides housing for all rural poor.
13. Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) was launched in 2014 for sanitation and hygiene.
14. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005 to improve healthcare.
15. National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) ensures safe drinking water.
16. Bharat Nirman Programme was launched in 2005–06 to improve rural infrastructure.
17. PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) was launched in 2015 for irrigation development.
18. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched in 2014 for the holistic development of model villages.
19. PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme) was launched in 2008 and is implemented by KVIC.
20. NSAP (National Social Assistance Programme) provides pensions to the elderly, widows, and disabled.