Author : K. Poornima

As a developing country we know India is facing the problem of poverty & unemployment like any other under developed country. With the initiation taken by NABARD in 1986-87, Self Help Group was linked with banks. Formation of SHGs in rural areas to generate micro credits has become viable units to support various activities related to agriculture, dairy, cattle grazing, rural enterprises & the like. SHGs enhance the equality of status of women as participants by empowering them and also now society is considering women as opinion leaders. NABARD & other state government have revealed the information that the present challenge is to induce SHGs & their members to graduate into matured levels of enterprise. The overall objective of the present micro level study is to analyze the economic empowerment of women through SHGs in some selected villages of Tumkur District of Karnataka and to study and demonstrate that SHGs are the best formal micro level finance institutions to generate additional employment and income for needy people by involving them in planning, decision making and management of sustainable natural resource .The study showed that many members as individual & also as group are involved in entrepreneurial work .It was also observed that there is lot of scope for SHGs to take up venture.

Keywords: Women Empowerment, Self Help Group, Microenterprise

Article published in the Proceedings of National Conference on ‘Women in Science & Engineering’ (NCWSE 2013), SDMCET Dharwad