Role of SHG-BLP in Economic Empowerment of Women: A Study on Indian Women SHGs.

Abstract The study aims to examine the role of SHG-BLP in the economic empowerment of SHG women members by considering four variables: the number of women SHGs linked with savings, the amount of savings, the number of women SHGs linked with credit, and the amount of credit accessed. It seeks to analyze the association between changes in the number of women SHGs linked with savings and credit and corresponding changes in the amounts of savings and credit. The study relies solely on secondary data obtained from the annual reports of NABARD over the last ten years, spanning from 2014–15 to 2023–24. Descriptive statistics reveal variations in the mean scores of the variables. Additionally, simple linear regression models demonstrate a significant association between changes in the number of women SHGs linked with savings and the corresponding amounts of savings, as well as between the number of women SHGs linked with credit and the amounts of credit accessed. Thus, it is concluded that SHG-BLP is a vital initiative that plays a significant role in the economic empowerment of SHG women participants during the study period.