Women Self Help Groups in India
Uploaded by nkavithambassm on Apr 13, 2007
Women SHGs in India [A Rural View]
by
N.Kavitha MBA, M.PhiL, (Ph.D)
Lecturer in MBA,
SSM College of Engineering,
Komarapalayam-638 183. Namakkal – Dist.
Email:nkavithamba@yahoo.co.in
Dr.A.Ramachandran M.Com,M.Phil,Grad WCA, Ph.D,
Reader in Commerce,
SNR Sons College,
Coimbatore.
E-mail: ram1200@rediffmail.com
Introduction
It has been realized in many parts of the world that an effective way to tackle poverty and to enable communities to improve the quality of life is through social mobilization of disadvantaged people, especially into Self Help Groups (SHGs). The concept of Self Help Groups is based on the idea of community participation, as sustainable community development requires the active participation of the entire community. 'Popular participation ensures that the benefits of development are equitably distributed. To further this, proposals are made for the decentralization of the authority so as to ensure redistribution of wealth, improved access to education and other social services. Consequently the focus of self-help groups is to develop the capacity of the disadvantaged, particularly women, and to organize them, so that they can deal with socio-political and socio-economic issues that affect their lives.
Self Help Groups have been formed in almost all the villages adopted in the three districts of Uttarkashi, Tehri & Jaunsar. The women have been mobilized to form small groups for savings & credit for improving the economic conditions of the individual women. Inter-loaning for meeting their day-to-day needs has increased their confidence in themselves. Micro-capital assistance has raised their hopes for starting small enterprises for generating more money thus improving their overall economic condition. Apart from IGA the groups have been instrumental in tackling the village issues such as water problem and negotiating with the pradhan for getting the drinking water scheme for the village. The women's collective strength has improved the Public Distribution System as far as dry ration is concerned or the functioning of Anganwari or Balwari's activities are concerned. Claming the Scholarships for the school students from the Pradhan or getting the old age scheme/widow pension scheme for the beneficiaries activated are some of the activities taken on by the SHG's. Anti-liquor movement has strongly taken on in all the three regions initiated by the women in these SHG's. Trainings received in Health & Hygiene thus...