A study on the performance of self-help groups (SHGs) under Deendayal Antyaodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) in Uttarakhand state
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Date
2021-02
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
Sustainability and improvement in the life of rural people is the main agenda of all developmental programmes. The Government of India since independence has implemented various programme to alleviate poverty. Schemes like Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWACRA), Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Supply of Improved Toolkits for Rural Artisans (SITRA) and Training of Rural Youth for Self employment (TRYSEM) were implemented in a row after Community Development Programme (CDP) in 1952. After lots of thinking and introspection of previous schemes, a new philosophy and approach saw the light of the day and Swarn Jayanati Grameen Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) was restructured as National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in 2011, the strategy is to encourage women in rural households to be part of Self- Help Groups. The three pillars on which Deendayal Antyaodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) stands were universal social mobilization, financial inclusion and livelihood enhancement. The present study is an attempt to explore the extent to which SHGs under NRLM are enabling women to be self-sufficient. As there was limited literature available regarding the performance of SHGs established under DAY-NRLM in Uttarakhand state, so this study has been taken up to give an idea about the immediate outcomes of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) established under DAY-NRLM. The focus of the present study was to study the socio-economic, communication and psychological characteristics of the women members, measures the group factors, assessing the performance of the SHGs formed under NRLM, to find the relationship among independent variables and the performance of SHGs and to identify the constraints faced by SHGs beneficiaries and the implementing agency. Uttarakhand constitutes the universe for the present study. Simple random sampling without replacement was adopted for the present study. Out of the thirteen districts in the Uttarakhand state, only two districts Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun were selected purposively for having higher number of SHGs under Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission (USRLM). Subsequently two blocks from each district were selected purposively for the study purpose which had maximum number of SHGs in their respective areas. The lists of SHGs were collected from the Block Development Office of each block. Out of which, total twenty eight SHGs were selected randomly using random number generator for the study purpose i.e. Seven SHGs from each block. Those Self-Help Groups were selected which had been working from more than three years and not having less than ten members in the group. For the study purpose 280 women member were interviewed. On the basis of the findings related to socio-economic, communication and psychological characteristics of the women members of SHGs it was concluded that majority of the respondents were middle-aged, belonged to upper caste, married, had nuclear family with medium size, and have medium socio-economic status. The women members were high in risk taking ability, achievement motivation, information seeking behaviour, decision making ability and leadership ability followed by medium level of self-confidence. It was also found that the majority of the SHGs were under medium level of performance. The women members performance were high in group process, task function and maintaining group atmosphere and it was medium in participation, maintenance function and interpersonal trust. The various group variables were combined to conclude that groups had medium level of performance on the basis of group process, participation, task function, maintenance function, interpersonal trust and group atmosphere. The age, education, socio-economic status, achievement motivation, leadership ability, information seeking behaviour, family size, self-confidence, decision making ability, risk taking ability, group process, participation, maintenance function, group atmosphere and interpersonal trust did not had statistically significant relationship with the performance of the SHGs formed under DAY-NRLM and only task function had a significant relationship with the performance of SHGs formed under DAY-NRLM. The major constraints perceived by the SHGs were reluctance of members to take leadership role, economically poor family background, lack of freedom to take decisions, unequal treatment by male family member, insufficient amount of financial assistance as per the activity chosen, lack of space for working, transportation problems, infrastructure problem, lack of consensus by the SHG members, improper use of loans and lack of interpersonal trust. While some major administrative constraints faced by implementing agency i.e. NRLM were insufficient staff, irregular fund flow, hesitant to take up leadership role and lack of awareness of people about programme and irregular maintenance of register. The NRLM programme in Uttarakhand state is working very efficiently covering poor women in rural areas and providing them with livelihood opportunities, capacity building and financial assistance. The NRLM provided necessary support in form of human and social capital and institutions to the rural poor households and gave space, voice and resources to the women to make them self-dependent. So it can be concluded that the performance of SHGs formed under NRLM was satisfactory and rural women were empowered.