Jaswantrai Mehta | CoopPeople | CoopWiki

Tenure/Life Period: May 19, 1919 – October 2, 1988
Association and Role within Society or Entity: Co-founder, Chief Organizer, and Financial Advisor of the Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad cooperative.
Contributions to the Cooperative Sector: Mehta provided critical administrative, legal, and structural guidance to seven semi-literate Gujarati women in Mumbai who started a small papad-rolling venture with a borrowed capital of just 80 rupees. He helped them draft a strict cooperative constitution anchored in the core principles of absolute inner ownership, self-reliance, and flat, equal profit distribution.
He insisted that the organization never accept charity or grants, ensuring its financial independence. Under his stewardship, the venture grew from a tiny household unit into a massive national cooperative empire under the Lijjat brand, employing tens of thousands of lower-income women across multiple Indian states. This model proved that a decentralized production system with centralized quality control could achieve immense commercial success while empowering women.
Awards and Recognitions: Posthumously recognized with multiple industrial and cooperative pioneer awards, and the organizational model he co-created is studied globally by institutions like the Harvard Business School as a gold standard for women's economic empowerment.