To Improve Economic & Social Status of the Families
Goa Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan
SHGs a boon to rural women
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BY ALBERT FERNANDES | NT NETWORK
POINGUINNIM: The idea of Self Help Groups (SHGs) was first initiated in Canacona, in the year 1999. The main aim of this idea was to bring about socio-economic development and to provide opportunities for poor women to come together and to improve their economic and social status, and also to meet the credit needs of the poor for economic activities.
Presently, there are in about 84 SHGs under the Below Poverty Line, which are interspersed in the different village panchayats of the Canacona taluka. A study showed that Gaondongrem has 17 SHGs, Cotigao -19, Khola houses 19, Agonda is home to 9 SHGs, Poinguinnim - 6, Shristhal -13, and Loliem-Polem has one self help group operating from its jurisdiction. Incidentally, Cotigao, Khola and Gaondongrem have a sizeable numbers, because, there are more BPL families living in these areas. Data available with Canacona BDO, Mr Manuel Baretto, shows that there are about 1800 families living Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in the taluka.
This number of families living under BPL increased substantially after 2007, as a lot of applications which were pending before the Canacona mamlatdar was cleared, giving these families the benefit of this scheme, whose economical status was found to be below the standard of living.
In order to form a BPL self-help group, the minimum number of members required is five and the maximum number allowed remains at 20. The SHG group holds monthly meetings, collect monthly contribution and utilise these savings for meeting small loan requirements of the group’s members.
The women, once they gain experience in dealing with small collection of savings, issue of small loans to members in need, follow up of the repayment of these small loans, maintaining group records, etc, feel confident to deal with bigger and larger loan facilities from commercial banks. With these loans they carry out agricultural activities, initiate repairs of their houses and the houses of their group members, use the funds for the educational purposes of their children, get into vegetable cultivation, go out and get medical treatment and attention if required and put the money to good use.
The women in these SHGs keep themselves occupied through various activities, like selling the products they make, which are often domestic, and other allied activities, including stitching of clothes, preparation of sweets and pickles, handicraft items, etc. the profits gained from sales is then divided among the members of the group and is put to good use like repairs of their houses, buying household items, on education and on overall improvement of their economic and social status. The cycle of meetings, small loans, activities and profit continues once again and this brings about a change in the social status as well as the economic status of the members of the SHGs. Their standard of living improves with each cycle.
The Canacona Block Development Officer (BDO), Mr Manuel Barretto informed on the various schemes the BPL SHGs can avail of. He said that the SHG can avail the scheme entitled Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana Scheme (SGSY), which gives a sum of Rs 50,000 to an individual, who can get a benefit of 12.50 per cent, which means the individual has to pay back only Rs 42,500.
A group loan which can be availed by the SHG is about Rs 5 lakh, which has a subsidy benefit of 25 per cent. Mr Barretto said that if the loan is taken by a group of 10 members, when divided among them, each member gets Rs 50,000 each, from which each member has to pay back Rs 40,000, thereby profiting by Rs 10,000 each.
Mr Baretto further informed that annually, the RDA organises inter-state exhibitions entitled, ‘SARAS’ where the SHGs from various states come together and sell their products. This is a sort of ready-made market for them to sell their goods and also gives them an opportunity to expose their products to buyers from other states and also provides them fresh and new ideas on how to run their SHG and what new activities to take up. He said that last year such an exhibition was held at South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) at Fatorda, Margao, and this year it is planned to be held in November.
The SHG can also avail the benefits of another scheme meant for them under the Social Welfare Department, wherein they can avail a sum of Rs 25,000 as loan amount for upgrading their existing business or activities. In order to avail this, any SHG registered with the co-operative societies can avail the same, provided the group exists for a period of at least two years.
If the SHG is not registered, then the bank account or statement of the last two years can serve as proof to avail the scheme. The forms should be submitted through the BDO, who will forward the same to the concerned department for approval. This scheme is available for both the BPL SHGs and the APL SHGs. This is a sort of additional assistance for the groups.
In order to apply for a loan under SGSY, RDA scheme, the application is forwarded to the concerned banks through the BDO’s office, where the application is screened by the bank managers, who later call upon the BDO to finalise the proposal.
The SHGs can be formed with women members or men members or both. The minimum requirement to form a SHG is 5 members, however, if four members are from the BPL category, the 5th one can be from the APL category. Similarly, in the case of 10 members, it can be 7 BPL and 3 APL members for the formation of the group.
A technical assistant, Ms Vandana Bhandari, who is the DRDA staff deputed at the BDO’s office informed that so far 35 SHGs from this taluka have availed of the loan under SGSY scheme for purchase of power tiller for horticulture activities, selling coconuts, vegetables, fruit, making of sweets and pickles, papad and the activity of salt fish or dry fish.
Each year ,orientation training programme is held to the BPL SHG groups, by the Institute of Rural Development and Administration (GIRDA), Ela, Old Goa, in which subjects like how to maintain accounts, how to write the minutes, how to market the products, etc. are dealt with and members are enlightened on various related topics, Ms Bhandari informed.
Some time back, nearly 40 members of different SHGs were trained in a 2-month course in catering, by the Agnel Vocational Training Institute at Verna.
Members of SHG groups, who represent the state in other SARAS fairs in states like Assam, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra etc, where they carry their products and sell them there, are paid the journey fare, the accommodation is provided free and each member is paid a certain amount per day, as stipend for food and other necessities.
Mr Barretto feels that the SGSY scheme is a great boost to women in particular, whereby the women on their own can work towards the betterment of their status and on the status of their family. The ladies can be self-dependent and added that the bank managers are willing to disburse loans to women in particular, because they are prompt, honest and regular in the payment of the instalment.