FINANCE

CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT

CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT SOCIETIES AND RANKS.-The co-operative movement in this district embraces various aspects of economic activities such as extension of agricultural credit and reorganisation of agriculture, processing and marketing of agricultural produce, sale of agricultural and domestic requisites, organisation of subsidiary and cottage industries. Under the perview of the co-operative department, therefore, are included the working of the various co-operative credit societies, multi-purpose societies, land mortgage banks and non-agricultural credit societies like urban co-operative banks, etc. The following pages briefly describe the growth of these various societies and their operations vis-a-vis the economic development of the district.

The peculiar geographical position and the backward nature of the district economy were partly responsible for the late onset of the radical changes that were taking place in the agricultural, industrial and financial sections of the economies of other districts such as Jalgaon, Satara, Poona, etc. Co-operative movement, too, made its appearance as late as the thirties of the twentieth century. The pace of its development, however, was accelerated, especially during recent years owing to the special efforts on the part of the government. The period following the Second War, thus, witnessed a comparatively large growth of co-operative societies in the Ratnagiri District. In 1959, the total number of societies registered in this district was 566, which covered Grain Banks, Multi-purpose Societies, Fisheries, Mining and Industrial Societies and also includes the District Central Bank which was registered in 1956. The Large-Size Multipurpose Societies which are of a recent origin and number about five are also the part and parcel of co-operative movement. The following statement indicates the general progress achieved by the co-operative movement in this district during the period of five years from 1953-54 to 1957-58.

TABLE No. 4.

THE PEOGRESS OF CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT DURING RECENT YEARS IN RATNAGIRI DISTRICT.

The table detailed above clearly shows that the co-operative movement has not lapsed since its inception but has made considerable progress in all fields such as membership, number of societies, working capital, etc.

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