A Study on Micro-Credit Utilisation Pattern by Rural Women Self Help Groups’ Members In Madhya Pradesh

Development initiatives by both Government and Non-government organisations popularised SHGs as highly accessible, formal micro-credit source for rural communities in India. Rural women in large numbers are mobilized to SHGs by National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and huge amount of credit is being disbursed through SHGs. On this backdrop, this study is an effort to understand the micro-credit utilisation pattern by rural women Self Help Groups’ members. The study was conducted in Betul District of Madhya Pradesh. The sample of this study consist of 100 women SHG members selected randomly. The data was collected using a structured interview schedule. The findings of the study show that, women SHG members belong to low socio-economic status, and all the women SHG members have approached SHGs at least ones for availing credit for different purposes in their day-to-day life. The result of the study also highlights that, both the ‘amount of credit availed’ and ‘number of times credit availed’ are positively correlated (rps = +.54, rps = +0.24) with the ‘primary occupation’. Key Words: SHGs, Micro Credit, Credit Utilisation, Rural credit, Occupation.