Objectives of Cooperation
Every cooperative institution comes into existence for the fulfilment of certain specific objectives. Short term objective of cooperative institution may differ but the longtem objectives ofthem are the same. They are analyzed as follows:
1.Elimination of Intermediaries:
The primary objective of a cooperative society is to remove the middlemen or intermediaries present indifferent fields of economic activity. These middlemen use to take away a major portion of the gainswhichshould have reached the beneficiaries. Consumer cooperative societies have been able toeliminate many wholesalers and retailers who came in between the producers and the consumers.Marketing cooperatives have saved the farmers from the long chain of middlemen who were exploitingthem with very low prices for their produce at all times.
2.Raising the Economic Status of the Weaker Sections:
The basic objective of a cooperative society is to raise the standard of living of the poor. Such peopleform an association to undertake business independently and get the rewards for their work withoutbeing exploited by employers. When the economic status is raised, it has positive effects on the socialand cultural life of the weaker sections.
3.Removal of the Evils of Capitalism:
Capitalism is guided by the profit motive. This leads to exploitation, class struggle, inequality, unfaircompetition and all related ills. The cooperative movement is an effective alternative to capitalismwherein it provides fair profit to
its members and better services to improve their quality of life.
4.Raising the Moral Standards of its Members:
The combination of business with ethics is a novel feature of a cooperative society. This leads to theconduct of business activity with honestyand truthfulness. The co-operative tries not only to improvethe economic life of its members, but also tries to instill in them the moral qualities.
5.Increasing the Prosperity of the Community:
An important objective of cooperation is to instil among the people a sense of the community. Peopleare encouraged to deviate from the individualistic attitude and take broader view of life. The dictum "Allfor one and one for all" stresses the fact that the cooperative society aims at bringing about the welfareof not a particular individual but of the whole community. The community feeling fosters the bond ofcooperation.
6.Abolition of Social Inequalities:
Wealth and power have caused a lot of social inequality and tension in the society. The rich and the powerful enjoy many privileges, which are denied to the poor and the weak. The removal of suchinequality is another objective of the co-operative movement. Here members are guaranteed equalrights and opportunities and there is no possibility of hurting anybody's interests.
7.Neutrality in Religion and Politics:
A cooperative society is expected to remain neutral from political parties and religious groups. Politics and religion automatically cause discrimination and it goes against the very fundamental of co-operation.
8.Development of Corporate Life:
A cooperative aims at providing a corporate life for its members; it has no faith in the natural law of "the survival of the fittest." It aims to transform the weak into the strong and make them fit for a better life.The ultimate objective of cooperation is "Cooperative Commonwealth, where the whole economy is
regulated and controlled by Cooperatives."
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