Women constitute half of the population and among them, only one-fourth are contributing effectively for the economic development of the country. The human resources among the women could not be utilized effectively due to illiteracy, low education and lack of skills. Most women workers in India are engaged in agriculture, where livelihood is insecure and wages are low. Recognizing that women can leverage their strength, increase bargaining power and enhance capacities and skills through joint action, the government has approved to organize women into groups and chanellized the resources to these groups.
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are usually informal groups whose members have a common perception of need and importance towards collective action. These group promote savings among members and used the pooled resources to meet the emergent needs of their members. The number of members in SHGs is normally ranged from 10 to 20. SHGs aims at empowering women and thus uplifting their families above the poverty line. It targets the rural and urban households below the poverty line and assure the poor women employment and income.
The study is useful for the students of Social Sciences and for field counselors, Sociologists, Social workers and for voluntary agencies.