The concept of co-operation has been powerful in human history and co-operatives are simply organizational structures and processes created by people to enable them to co-operate with their neighbours. Co-operation is the movement of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is the basic of the co-operative movement; co-operative institutions protect the individual interests and pave the way for common interests. The services of the co-operative institutions improve the socio – economic conditions of the members and strengthen the economy of the country. The co-operative movement plays a vital role in all walks of life. Co-operative credit societies, housing co-operative societies, consumer co-operative societies, weaver co-operative societies, marketing co-operative societies, diary co-operative societies and the like fulfill the needs of the people and have come some way towards becoming an integral part of their day to-day lives. The paper examines the growth and development of co-operative societies in Sikkim, the paper posits that for over centuries now co-operatives have been an effective way for people to exert control over their economic livelihoods as they play an increasingly important role in facilitating job creation, economic growth and social development.