Recasting Citizenship for Development - File UPI

SHGs as Change Agents in Enhancing the Political Participation 327
about a year, when these savings build up, members are able to access
credit through their pooled resources. Members are allocated loans based
on group solidarity, instead of formal collateral. By default, the group
assumes a political role when it influences decisions relating to the allocation
of resources and benefits to its members. Members assess one
another’s strengths, time the loans, schedule repayments and fix interests
rates. The profits, howsoever small, are distributed either among the members
or jointly used as per the group’s wishes. This strategy promotes
self-sufficiency and independence among the poor women. The minimum
savings per member in the SHGs under study was Rs 10 per month. The
maximum savings were up to Rs 50 per month. The average monthly
saving was Rs 20–25 per month.
Micro-credit
The group corpus is supplemented with revolving funds sanctioned as
cash credit limit by the banks. The SHGs in the study have received cash
credit limit from banks ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.
Micro-Enterprise Development
The SHGs also take up income-generating activities for their members.
Samarthan, PANI and Purti Sansthan have facilitated many enterprise
activities such as the making of files and folders, durries and soft toys;
sewing and embroidery; processed foods such as badi and papad and
pickles; producing incense sticks; animal husbandry; fishery; horticulture;
cooperative farming; and setting up general stores, vegetable and furniture
shops. HARC has motivated the groups to start collective enterprises based
on locally available resources.
Participation in the Public Sphere
The SHGs in this study acted as interest groups to take up their cause
either as elected representatives or as active members of gram sabhas.
They took part in decision-making processes, raised issues in gram sabha
meetings and facilitated the participation of women other than their
own group members. Some SHG members in the study are members,
sarpanches, or up-sarpanches (vice-heads) of the panchayats. In Sehore