Self-Help Groups and Rural Livelihood: A Study on Jorhat District of Assam, India

Abstract

Self Help Groups is considered as one of the most significant tools to adopt participatory approach for the economic empowerment of women. The Self Help Groups (SHG's) became a regular element or part of the Indian financial system since 1996. Self Help Group is a group of rural poor who have volunteered to organize themselves into a group for eradication of poverty of the members. It is an important institution for improving the life of woman on various social components. The basic objective of an SHG is to provide space and support to each other. They can provide assist during hard times, work, social support, and the initial cash needed to enter different livelihood activities. Numerous programmes and schemes have brought economic and social reforms, but not in a significant manner. This leads to search for alternative ways to serve the rural poor in general and rural women in particular. In such a search, the conception of women self help group is creditable and it is a new window for the development and progress of the rural women.

Therefore, an attempt has been made to study the function of Self-help groups and its influence on rural livelihood in Jorhat district of Assam. To fulfill the purpose five villages have been selected and studied.