Autonomous Consumer Cooperative: A Case Study of Maharashtra State

Abstract

Consumer Cooperatives occupy a significant place in Indian Economy. The primary objective of the consumers’ cooperative is elimination of the middlemen and distributes the goods at a reasonable price. Maharashtra had been the pioneer of the cooperative movement in the country having networked of all types of cooperative societies working in the fields of production, marketing, processing, banking, etc. Warana Bazaar is one of the consumer cooperative store plays important role in the economical, social, and cultural development of the people in Kolhapur and Sangli district of Maharashtra. Warana Bazaar is an autonomous consumer cooperative is capable of making a rational and informed decision on their own. The qualities of service, management excellence, diversification, employment creation are the main features which make Warana Bazaar as an autonomous consumer cooperative store in Maharashtra.
Descriptive and case base research design was used in this study. The Primary data on present status, and structure of warana bazaar was collected through formal interaction with Board of Director, Officers, and staff of the store at Warana Bazar, Kolhapur. The secondary data was mainly collected through the published and authentic source of warana Bazaar. The financial data for last five years i.e..2013-14 and 2017-18 was analyzed with the help of simple statistical tools such as mean, percentage, etc. The study concludes that, the membership growth, the best management practices, ethical practices, different services and incentives rendered by Warana Bazaar responsible to make them autonomous consumer cooperatives in Maharashtra.
In that concern, the case of Warana Bazaar for the detailed study of present status, structure and features responsible to create warana bazaar as an autonomous institution has been examined in the present study.