Women
Self Help Groups are now entered in to the businesses model o, where they are
engaged in to income generation
activities and marketing of it!
|
Status of SELF HELP GROUPS ( SHGs)
|
|
Result
|
Total Target
|
SJVS-Banswara (Till Jan 2012)
|
SJVS-Banswara (Till Jul 2012)
|
RCDSSS-Ajmer (till Jan 2012)
|
RCDSSS-Ajmer (till Jul 2012)
|
Total (till Jul 2012)
|
|
Formation of
SHGs
|
20
|
1
|
1
|
25
|
25
|
26
|
|
SHGs linked
with the local bank
|
20
|
1 ( Banswara
project no SHG formation, as most of the women are already in SHGs)
|
1
|
25
|
25
|
26
|
|
SHGs started
IGA
|
20
|
0
|
1
|
15
|
15
|
15
|
SHGs
functioning effectively ( on the basis of monitoring tools attached
in the annexure)
|
20
|
1
|
1
|
15
|
15
|
16
|
Source:
Monthly cluster reports and field visit of Caritas India project staff
In the SHGs there is the concept of saving, where
as in the farmers club saving is optional. Out of 20 farmers club around 10 are
doing the monthly saving of 100 rupees
and this saving amount they are using for the purchase of agriculture
equipments for common use and supporting the needy farmer for cultivation work.
On the other hand when we talk about the saving of
SHGs It is also worth to observe that in SHGs ( with an average 15 members per
SHGs) on an average saving is Rs. 50 per month so in this way through LIFE
project team efforts women collectiveness in the form of SHGs are able to save:
Total SHGs=26
Average membership=15
Total members in SHGs
=26X15=390
Average saving amount
per member per month=50 INR
Total saving in a month
=26X15X50= 19500
Average age of SHGs= 24
months
Total (approx) saving
till July 2012= 19500X24=468000 INR
From
the above we could easily conclude that INR 468000 amount LIFE project is
somewhere financially securing the present and the future of the women from the
Rajasthan region. Here we need to understand the critical concept of women
collectiveness in Rajasthan region that, its not that only through LIFE ;women
collectiveness is coming out, earlier also government and other agencies also
implemented the financial inclusion programmes in the form of SHGs ( self Help
Groups), but the key intention was only limited to saving and credit , but with
LIFE we have started the women collectiveness with the key intention of social
inclusion and then strengthening financial systems for the women.
Production Units by Women Self Help Groups
(SHGs)
Women Self Help Groups in Ajmer has initiated production units ( through
Income generation support activities) there are 5 production centers being
initiated and are able to produce goods and market goods also. The status of
the production units are as:
- Total 5 productions cum training units were
established for income generation and skill development of SHG members in
5 villages. The details are as follows :
I.
Unit–1 : Spice
(Masala – Chilly, Coriander, Turmeric) Pocessing
(Grading, Grinding, Packaging & Selling) Unit; run by Ghareeb Nawaj SHG of Gudha village, maily owned by
Mrs. Phulbano. They process the material as per requirement of the shop setup
by Phulbano earlier. Monthly she sells 20 kg. Chilly powder, 7 kg. Coriander
Powder & 5 kg. Turmeric and earn profit of Rs. 1000/- to 1500 monthly.
II.
Unit – 2 & 3 : Tailoring cum Bag Making
Unit at Kesarpura & Devliya run by Jagdamba SHG of Devliya &
Vishvakarma SHG of Kesarpura. Total 14 SHG members are trained regularly, they
completed tailoring and now production bags is going on for upcoming pushkar
fair.
III.
Unit – 4 & 5 : Production Unit of Vermin
Compost run by Krishna SHG Noklha & Peepalderani SHG Devliya. Total 6 SHG
members have established 12 vermin compost units of 20’×3’×2’ size and
producing compost. From the next two months the ready compost will be packaged
by other members of SHGs & sold to the market.
Change
Factor through Women SHGs…
- With SHGs women have moved beyond the concept of saving and
credit, infect now in terms of income they are more in the role of
entrepreneur rather than a women just getting and submitting a loan! The
word loan has changed with income!
- Now all the SHGs are linked with the
government banks rather than linking with micro-finance institutions
(which charges quite high rate of interest) and this lead to have loan for
the group with an interest rate ranging from 12-18% and in some cases with
subsidy of 1-2%.
- Village
heath worker/asha worker participate in the monthly meetings of almost 80%
of SHGs formed under LIFE. This includes information on premature
pregnancy, motherhood, menstruation cycle irregularities etc.
- Around
90% of SHGs women have school going children and good to observe that all
are going to the village schools and now with more income through
entrepreneurship women spent 5-10% of amount on providing bags and school
dresses to their children ( as
books are available free of cost in the government schools).
- Have
financial knowledge on bank and its transactions, 90% of SHGs at Ajmer
do every thing by themselves without any support from our cluster
Coordinator. It includes going to bank, doing transactions, meeting with
PRI and bank officials etc. and interesting factor is that they all are
illiterate; they take support of field animator only for minutes writing.
- Now
women started living neat and clean and are aware about bank, PHC,
vaccination and school.
- Participate
in Gram sabha
meetings and micro-plans of the village. We need to understand that women
participation in decision making either at their home or at the public
forum is vital. In LIFE gender aspect is a cross cutting issue and to
strengthen the same through the project we have structures like SHGs and
farmers club have been developed, where 33% of female membership is
compulsory. Apart from this in all the activities, exposures we project
have give space and scope for the female representation and positively
they comes foreword for the same. This all has boost up the moral and
confidence level of target women in the LIFE project villages.
3.2.2 What sort of discussion SHGs members do during the meeting?
It is good to notice that 80% of SHGs
have their regular monthly meetings on fixed date, time and place (in some
cases place get changed every month). On an average duration of meeting is
around 1-2 hours in which the members initially do prayers, and then do their
saving and credit process and later on discus on the various issues
as:
- NREGA work
- On health issues
- On their household work
- Children education
- Loan repayment
- On organic Cultivation
- On their husbands and family
- On festivals
- On their daughter marriage
- On their health concerns
- On government schemes ( social security
schemes)
- On IGA
Effective
SHGS criteria in LIFE are as: collectiveness 10-20 women from BPL families, regular meeting,
discussion on social issues in the meeting, regular saving, promotion of IGP
activities, regular attendance, rotation of leadership, linkages with banks,
timely repayment & participation in gram sabha meetings
What is a
Gram Sabha of the Panchayat?
Gram Sabha means a body consisting of persons whose names are for
the time being entered as electors in the electoral roll for a Panchayat.
When does the Gram
Sabha meet ?
1. There shall be four ordinary meetings of the Gram Sabha to be
held on any Sunday of January, April, July and October of every year, and is to
be convened by the Sarpanch.
2. There shall also be four Special Meetings of the Gram Sabha on
26th January, l5th August, 2nd October and 19th December of every year and is
to be convened by the Sarpanch.
3. An extra ordinary meeting of the Gram Sabha shall be convened
by the Sarpanch, upon a requisition in writing of not less than one-tenth
number of members of the Gram Sabha, within thirty days from the receipt of
such requisition.
