EMPOWERING RURAL WOMEN LABOUR FORCE THROUGH SGH BANK LINKAGE MICROFINANCE PROGRAMME IN INDIA – A CASE STUDY ON NRLM / ANANDADHARA PROGRAMME AT PATHAR PRATIMA BLOCK, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Starting from early 70’s microfinance emerged as the most effective instrument to irradiate poverty and unemployment especially in rural India. Govt. of India has taken several initiatives to empower rural women through SHG (Self Help Group) Bank Linkage programme in Micro Finance field. Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Cooperative Banks are now engaged with several government regulations to the SHGs in rural India. NABARD has taken the initiative with the intention of reduction of poverty and unemployment by mobilizing resourced for rapid financial inclusion. Indian economy have experience a regional biased growth of microfinance during liberalised period. However, in the neoliberalised era region specific inclusion pattern have been changed. The low income group are still remains excluded from the access of microfinance. With this background an attempt has been made to analyse the effectiveness of SHG Bank Linkage programme of a newly introduce microfinance program namely NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission). We want to analyse how far this government flagship programme has been enhanced the income and employment of rural women in Pathar Pratima block, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. It is found that NRLM / ANANDADHARA SHG groups are successful to improve income and livelihood of the members than non-member in Pathar Pratima block in the district of south 24 Parganas of West Bengal. We also check the poverty situation of sample households in terms of Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) both for ANANDADHARA SHG members and non-members. MPI revealed that poverty intensity has been effectively declined for SHG group members compare to non-SHG group members.