Q.Explain any six features of co-operation.

A co-operative is set apart from a sole trader, a partnership, or a company by a distinctive set of features that all flow from its idea of 'self-help through mutual help'.

The distinctive features of co-operation are:

1. Voluntary Association — Membership is completely voluntary; no one is forced to join, and a member is free to leave the society after giving proper notice and following the rules. People join only because they share a common economic need.
2. Open Membership — Membership is open to all eligible persons without discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, gender, or economic or social status; anyone willing to accept the responsibilities of membership can join.
3. Democratic Management — The society is managed democratically on the principle of 'one member, one vote', irrespective of the number of shares a member holds. Members elect a managing committee to run the society. This is a key difference from a joint stock company, where voting power depends on shareholding.
4. Service Motive — The main aim of a co-operative is to serve its members, not to earn maximum profit for a few owners; any surplus is a means to serve members better, not the primary goal.
5. Separate Legal Entity — On registration under the co-operative law, the society becomes a separate legal entity distinct from its members; it can own property, enter into contracts, and sue or be sued in its own name, and it enjoys perpetual succession.
6. State Control / Regulation — Because co-operatives serve public interest and receive government help and concessions, they are regulated and supervised by the government through the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, and their accounts are subject to compulsory audit. (Other features include equality of members, distribution of surplus by a limited dividend on capital plus a patronage-based share, self-help and mutual help, and traditionally cash trading.)
   ✓Final answer

   Six features of co-operation are voluntary association, open membership, democratic management (one member, one vote), service motive, separate legal entity on registration, and state control/regulation through the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.

Students often just list the feature names without explaining them — in a long-answer question, each feature must be briefly explained in a sentence or two; simply writing the headings will not fetch full marks.