Rural Empowerment Through Co-operatives

Contents: 1. Genesis, principles, and growth of co-operatives in India. 2. Profile of the study area and review of literature. 3. Organization and management of Central Co-operative Banks. 4. Co-operative banking structure in Haryana. 5. Working and financial performance of Central Co-operative Banks. 6. Suggestions and policy measures.

"Co-operation means living, thinking and working together. Co-operation was in existence even before man's origin. With out the operation of the principle of Co-operation, all sociability and mutual aid, the progress all sociability and mutual aid, the progress of organic life, the improvement of the organism, and the strengthening of the species become utterly incomprehensible. In India, cooperatives have been assigned a very significant role in the task of rural development particularly in increasing agricultural production and alleviating poverty and unemployment. Co-operatives have been accepted as an important medium for regeneration of the country's socio-economic life. Today, co-operatives are one of the most widely distributed institutions as they have been set up at the grass root levels in every nook and corner of the country.

The co-operatives have performed better in comparison with other agricultural credit agencies in India. Co-operatives are universally acknowledged as the most desirable type of financing agency, stand in the forefront in the total supply of agricultural credit. Moreover, co-operatives are structured for the purpose for rural development through financing for agricultural purpose. Therefore, the co-operative form of organizations are considered best for providing credit to the farmers because they satisfy all the important criteria of sound agricultural credit.

In the present study, an attempt has been made to analyze the importance of Central Co-operative Banks in financing agricultural credit in the rural economy." (jacket)