SHGs in Kashi bail out rural women in these corona times

VARANASI:When Saroj Devi, a resident of Lakhrav village here needed Rs 1,000 to buy rations, the self help group (SHG) Ishu run by women of her village came to her aid, loaning her the amount .

Gayatri Devi, a resident of Prahladpur, who was cashstrapped due to no work for the past several months, was also bailed out by the Utsah self help group in her village which lent her Rs 1,000 to buy fodder for her cow. Several other women in Newada, Seevo, Mustafabad, Shankarpur and Mewadi villages found a support system in the SHGs in these harrowing corona times.

Padma Shri Dr Rajnikant, who promotes self help groups, said in normal times, SHGs gave loans only for income generating activities. But in corona times, they extended financial assistance to women for meeting home expenses, buying fodders for cattle, for medical treatment, buying rations and for various other needs. Thus they saved several rural women from getting into the clutches of moneylenders.

Backed by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and promoted by the Human Welfare Association (HWA), 280 women self help groups are helping rural women in Varanasi district.

These SHGs provide loans to the rural women for vegetable farming, household expenses, setting up small general stores and treatment and for starting the work of pickle making. The rural women take loans and pay them back. A self help group comprises 18 women.

Coordinator, Women Empowerment and chief of a self help group Madhuri Singh said, “Some self help groups are over one and a half decades old. Members not only focus on their own empowerment but also extend help to others. During the past three months, several women took small loans from the self help groups.”

Singh said that a group of women took loan to start vegetable farming.

Some had already grown vegetables. After their vegetable crops mature, they would pay back the loans on time by selling the produce.

Singh said when any rural woman sought financial help from the SHGs, loan was given to her and its record was maintained. The borrowers paid back the loans timely.

Dr Rajnikant said that these SHGs maintained full transparency in their functioning. These were non-subsidy SHGs and had helped a number of rural women by providing them loans. The women associated with the SHGs not only empowered themselves, but also helped the needy women in the villages. Details of these SHGs are available on NABARD’s online e-portal e-Shakti.

He claimed that there was no NPA on loan taken by these SHGs.

These SHGs paid back the loan timely to the bank.