Context:

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 77 of the Constitution, the President amended the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and introduced new entry to First Schedule as: 8A. Ministry of Cooperation (Sahkarita Mantralaya).

About the ministry

• ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created by the government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’. 
• This ministry will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country.

Cooperative Society

• It is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspiration through jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprises.
• Co-operative societies are service enterprises aiming at rendering service to their members. In one sentence the philosophy of cooperation can be summed up as “each for all and all for each”.

Historical Developments for Cooperatives

• Cooperative Credit Societies Act, 1904: As its name suggests, the Cooperative Credit Societies Act was restricted to credit cooperatives. By 1911, there were 5,300 societies in existence with a membership of over 3 lakhs
• Cooperative Societies Act, 1912: The Act also provided for Federations of cooperatives.
• Maclagen Committee on Cooperation (1914): It recommended building up a strong three-tier structure in every province to provide short-term and medium-term finance.
• Government of India Act, 1919: Cooperation as a subject was transferred to the provinces. Societies were organized, but most faced difficulties in operation as a result of opposition by private marketing agencies
• Multi-Unit Cooperative Societies Act, 1942: delegated the power of the Central Registrar of Cooperatives to the State Registrars for all practical purposes.
• Model Cooperatives Act, 1990: The Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997) laid emphasis on building up the cooperative movement as a self-managed, self-regulated and self-reliant institutional set-up, by giving it more autonomy and democratizing the movement.
• Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002: The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS)Act, enacted in 1984, was modified in 2002, in keeping with the spirit of the Model Cooperatives Act, 1990
• National Cooperative Policy, 2002: The objective of the Policy is to facilitate an all-around development of cooperatives in the country