Integrated Cooperative Development Project

Indian cooperative movement is over 100 years old, and covers all walks of human life. It may not be out of place to say that cooperatives are life line of rural India. All along, Government of India has been supporting the movement through liberal policies and financial assistance. Establishment of National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for advancement of loans or grant of subsidies to state governments for financing cooperative societies is one of the initiatives in this direction. NCDC has introduced integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) in 1985-86 for overall development of a district through cooperative effort. The concept of ICDP envisages selection of district, formulation of activities in an integrated manner based on resources of the area and needs of the people, and development of these activities through cooperatives, So far over 190 such projects were sanctioned in different parts of the country with a project cost of Rs. 1593 crore. The present study is an attempt to examine the extent of impact of ICDP in achieving its objectives, identifying major constraints, and to suggest suitable changes in the scheme for better results, and conducted in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.