thousand. The remainder of the debt is due to private
money lenders for which we do not have reliable data.
In other words, if the above estimate of about 10 crores of
debt for the whole of Gujarat is correct, then we find that
only i/2oth is due to the government and the co-operative
societies, the remainder to the money-lenders. 1ft other
words, the peasantry of Gujarat is bearing a dead weight
of a large volume of debt which is incurred generally for
unproductive purposes from private money-lenders who
charge large commissions, and heavy rates of interest
varying from 12 to 25 per cent, for loans in cash, and from
25 to 100 per cent, for loans in kind.
Though the co-operative credit movement has made
progress,l it has only touched the fringe of the population
so far, and the problem before it is immense as can be seen
from the above mentioned facts. It may be pointed out
that the societies which are already in existence are not in
the best of condition ; we find, for example, that on 3ist
March 1928, the amount of arrears was Rs. 15.4 lakhs
or more than 37 per cent, of the working capital of all
societies put together. In addition to the credit societies,
a few non-credit societies have been started which are 28
in number. They are for different purposes, for cattle
insurance, for cotton sale and seed supply, for ginning and
so on. The cotton sale and seed supply and the ginning
societies are flourishing, the rest do not show a satisfactory
progress. It is necessary to help the farmer to take to
non-credit co-operation both for production and marketing
which will increase his earning capacity and enable him to
get out of the clutches of the money lenders.
LAND REVENUE
Land revenue forms the most important item in the
revenue receipts of all Provincial Governments. It
1 The progress of the Co-operative movement in Gujarat may be seen
from the following figures:—
Year «No.' ^f No' of Working Revenue
AC*r Societies members capital Rs. fund Us.
1908 $6 1912 50,480 1,669
1928 676 . 44382 41,54TT6T 4,49,545