Assessing the role of SUMUL in furthering Human Development in Surat and Tapi

This paper engages with the question of how cooperatives in India have been furthering the nations‘ development, it aims to assess the role of SUMUL in furthering socio-economic progress in the districts of Surat and Tapi. This paper investigates how has SUMUL‘s success and their advocacy for the marginalized communities in the tribal and rural areas of Surat and Tapi has led towards a more inclusive business model which stands on the ethos of participatory democratic model, where different stakeholders and their interests have propelled the mission of cohesive and collective development. This paper assess the impact that SUMUL has had on the health, education and livelihoods of its members, how it has engaged in dialogues and practices across different stakeholders such as the state and the banks to create solutions which benefitted everyone involved. It looks at the lessons that the cooperative model can teach us towards inculcating social progress and economic development.