Self Help Group and women participation: An overview

Abstract

Abstract: The present study tries to examine the origin of the concept of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in India. Self Help Groups (SHGs) are basically self-governed, informal voluntary associations of people which mainly comprise of 10-15 women who share the same economic background and urge to make a certain contribution of their savings to uplift themselves. As far as the origin of Self Help Group is concerned, it was an NGO named MYRADA which was inspired by a Grameen Bank of Bangladesh took an initiative of forming self help affirmity groups in India. Owing to the increasing participation of people in forming self-help groups, The Government of India took an initiative to promote Self Help Groups in the name of Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) in the year 1999, which was renamed as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DDY-NRLM). Thus, the present study tries to look into how the concept of SHG emerged and turned itself into a women-centric programme. 

Keywords: Self Help Groups (SHGs), NABARD, SGSY, NRLM and Women.