Coolie Sangha Membership

Coolie Sangha Membership

Small and poor peasant families (landed or landless agricultural labourers who do not themselves employ wage labour) are the Members of village Coolie Sangha Units (CSUs).

Membership benefits cover all those in the family, especially wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. Any family member can represent the Member Coolie at the weekly CSU Meetings, but only the person in whose name the membership stands can stand for elections within the Coolie Sangha.

The Coolie Sangha covers 55,126 families in 1,257 villages. Being a membership based organisation, these numbers fluctuate from year to year:

  • 9,985 families (18%) have renewed their membership and are currently active in vilage CSUs
  • 31,503 families (57%) are currently inactive
  • 13,638 families (25%) are non-CSU Members who benefit our Climage Projects
VillagesActive MembersInactive MembersNon CSU FamiliesTotal
Functioning CSUs4459,98518%14,91927%4,3508%29,254
Dropped CSUs46616,58433%2,5195%19,103
Non CSU Villages3466,76916%6,769
1,2579,98531,50313,63855,126

The Coolie Sangha maintains a computerised Membership Register of all such beneficiary Coolie Members at each Taluk headquarters. Membership stands in the name of the village CSU where they reside.

Suspension and cancellation of a Member Coolie is done by the respective Coolie Sangha Unit. Necessary entries are made in the computerised Membership Register.

Only beneficiary Member Coolie families benefit the projects, programmes and activities of ADATS and the Coolie Sangha. Benefits are not open for any and every Coolie, simply by virtue of her being a Coolie. The only exception are climate projects taken up by ADATS.

Member Coolies have the right to vote in the annual CSU Representative election of their Coolie Sangha Units, and also the right to stand as candidate for various organisational elections.