As in India the system of Self Help Groups(SHGs) have been running from years in small towns,villages and many more places all over India.SHGs are those where a group of women come together and to help other womens in the form of monetary issues.
The groups in Bihar have been operating under the Jeevika,a World Bank supported poverty programme in the state from since 2007.The secretary of Rural Development Department said that this model has given women the opportunity to become self-reliant,self-sufficient.This project is one of the major project for the Cheif Minister of Bihar and Jeevika to take the state of Bihar into new heights in coming time.
In the tough period of Covid-19 pandemic,the womens of Jeevika programme have worked tirelessly and contributed worth Rs 543 crore of transactions through POS machines.This was majorly done for taking the banking system to the needy people and to every corner of the remotest area.They reached out with the help of creating awareness,food security,work on sanitation and many more activities they did for the betterment of the society.By this approach they reached around to 1.09 crore households.
Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society(BRLPS),is an autonomous society comes under the Rural Development Department of the State Government.It is one of the designated livelihood mission to scale up the Jeevika model in all 534 blocks of 38 districts under the National Rural Livelihood Mission(NRLM).The director of NRLM has said that nearly 1.20 crore women have got involved with over 10 lakh SHGs in the state.He also added ‘They have scripted a new saga of women empowerment,which is visible in the rural areas.The have also availed Rs 12200 crore worth loan for starting of their income generating activities and repayment is on timely basis.They have repaid loan of around Rs 5000 crore to avail fresh loan.They also have Rs 1350 crore worth savings for inter loaning amongst its members.’
The SHGs under Jeevika are helping more than 45 lakh household through its various activities by way of producing masks,running ‘Didi in Rasoi’ outlets to serve food for the quarantined people and the patients,disbursal of Rs 350 crore worth loan to village organisations for food security and health risk mitigation,running the retail shops for supply of essentials.Besides financial inclusion the government of state is working tirelessly and bringing various initiatives for the education,health and welfare departments.
“This is a model that can take Bihar miles to achieve self-reliance in the true sense,something that India dreams to achieve.Bihar has shown how it could be done.This has been very positive initiative.All that is needed to integrate the activities of SHGs and give them further opportunities for scale up to also become employment generators in rural areas which would further give a boost to the State economy.”said former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies.
Eduindex News 