Reaching the Poorest:Role of Microfinance in Poverty Reduction of Self Help Groups in Rangjuli Revenue Circle of Goalpara District of Assam,India.

ABSTRACT

Microfinance is essentially a financial service, routed to the poor generally through Self Help Groups (SHGs), in sheer belief that it will enhance their available choices, opportunities and empower them both socially and economically. With more than 387.38 million Indian people living below poverty line (World Bank, 2011), it becomes imperative to provide them a stimulus to overcome the quagmire of poverty and ignorance prevalent among them. The study area comprises of the selected villages of Rangjuli revenue circle of Goalpara district of Assam, where the Self Help Groups have been surveyed, regarding the microcredit and its role-both positive and negative, in their economic and social lives including their satisfaction level regarding microfinance. The study also bears significance as most of the SHGs surveyed (45 out of 57) are women groups, who are seen as most reliable in terms of repayment and utilization of loans (Joy Deshmukh-Ranadive, 2005). The result suggests that the formation of SHGs and expansion of credit facilities has led to livelihood promotion and poverty alleviation of about 86 per cent surveyed SHGs of the study area. Moreover, notably it is basically the women-run enterprises which have rather benefitted themselves and their families both economically and socially, vis-à-vis empowering themselves.