Institution Building and Women Empowerment for Livelihood Enhancement : Two Case Studies on Rural India through Program Interventions

Rural India has witnessed the growth of many grassroots institutions. The Self Help Groups (SHG) as building block of Micro finance institution is key grassroots initiatives in rural India. These grassroots institutions play very important role in energising livelihood enhancement activities for the disadvantaged community. Indian government has now more economic power to fund the poverty eradication initiatives than ever before, thanks to Indian high growth economy for last 15 years. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) is the national level flagship program of Indian government with the objectives of credit disbursement and livelihood development for the Below Poverty level women community in rural India. The SHG is the organization vehicle of SJSY implementation. The good functioning of SHGs has the potentials to empower women in securing livelihood. The programs implemented by NGOs also contributed to the growth of SHGs and subsequent livelihood enhancement activities. The two case studies illustrate the experience of livelihood enhancement through SHG driven empowerment process.