Self Help Groups, Financial Inclusion

and Women Empowerment

A Critique

Author : Sowjanya S. Shetty

Lecturer in Economics
Poornaprajna College Udupi
Cell: 9482747373
Email: sowjanya936@gmail.com

Co-authors:
Dr V. Basil Hans
Associate Professor of Economics, and Research Supervisor
St Aloysius Evening College
Mangalore
Contact No: 9845237602
Email: vhans2011@gmail.com

Dr Prakasha Rao A.
Associate Professor
Department of Economics
Poornaprajna College Udupi
Cell:9448027072
Email: rao.pra@gmail.com

Objectives of the Study

To critically examine the role and reach of SHGs towards empowerment
To discuss the issues and initiatives in establishing linkages between the socio-economic
dynamics and womens empowerment
To explore some strategies that may supplant or supplement the SHG initiatives and
remove the imbalances that still remain in accomplishing total empowerment of women

Methodology
Present study is based on the collection of data from secondary sources. Secondary data
is obtained from various published and unpublished records, books, magazines and
journals

Conceptual and Operational Framework

Functions of SHGs:

Creating a common fund by the members through their

regular savings.
Maintaining a flexible working system and pooling the
resources in a democratic way.
Conducting periodical meetings wherein decisions are
taken through group consensus and cooperation
Lending small but reasonable amount of loans so that it
is easy to repay in time.
Keeping the rate of interest affordable, varying from
group to group and loan to loan

 Womens indicators of empowerment through microfinance

Increase in the ability to save and access loans

Promotes entrepreneurial ability.
Wider opportunity to undertake an economic activity
Increase in mobility
Creates awareness of local issues, MFI procedures, banking
transactions
Promotes skills for income generation
Enhancement of decision-making within the household as well as in
society
Increase in mobilization of groups in support of individual clients
and social issues
Actively participates in community development activities

Critical Estimate

Issues:

Problem of Liquidity
Concentration in few states
No uniformity in economic empowerment
No scope for expansion of activities with small
amount of loan and high rate of interest
Still remains as micro

Suggestions for strengthening SHG Movement

Implementation of ICT based banking operations
Skill development of SHG members
Educating the SHG members and coordination amongst the SHGs, NGOs
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana should be well-conceived as it enhances
the poors access to institutional credit
Timely provision of credit at low rate of interest
Enhancement of credit absorptive capacity of a region
Encouraging SHGs in hitherto excluded regions
Check on corruption and commission while sanctioning and upgrading the loan.
Simplification of KYC norms
Extension of the facilities of General credit card system in the form of overdraft

 Suggestions [contd]

Identification of unbanked districts and opening bank branches there

Belter interaction between bank official and SHG member
Transparency should be maintained of records
SHGs in empowering women through financial inclusion must scale up
in the parameters namely access, quality, usage and welfare
For inclusive growth, besides financial inclusion, SHGs must strive for
health inclusion, education inclusion, housing inclusion, legal
inclusion, equity inclusion, leadership inclusion, and governance
inclusion too
SHGs efforts must be linked with manufacturing, marketing and
service units
Strengthening and integration of technology and human development

Conclusion
SHGBank linkage program a benchmark in
womens socio-economic empowerment
Confidence boosting; status enhancing
Financial deepening and financial widening need
to be balanced
Microfinance/SHGs need healthy integration with
formal financial system
Could develop more skill and enterprise under
Skill India and Start-up India, Stand up India
schemes

Thank you