Significance of SHGs
Gender Equity
SHGs help to empower women and also improve their leadership skills among them. They empowered the active participation of females in village panchayats and also gram sabha elections. Evidence also points out that the SHGs have helped to improve the status of women manyfold in society and family leading to improvement in the socio-economic conditions of women.
Help for Marginalised Groups
Most of the important beneficiary schemes by the government are for the weaker and also the marginalized communities and hence SHGs in many ways help in ensuring social justice.
Social Integrity
Social evils like dowry, early marriages, etc. can be dealt with in a more holistic way because of the role and contribution of the SHGS.
Financial Inclusion
SHGs linkage program which was headed by NABARD had made access to credit easier and also reduced the dependence on money lenders and other non-formal institutions.
Impact on Healthcare and Housing
Financial inclusion which occurred due to the SHGs has helped in better family planning, reduced child mortality, enhanced maternal health, and helped people to be provided with better healthcare facilities.
Self Help Groups
A self-help group refers to a financial group usually made up of 10 to 25 local women, who are aged between 18 to 40. Most of the self-help groups are situated in India, however, can be found in other countries as well, but concentrated in South and South-East Asia.