|
1. |
What is this project? |
|
2. |
What is the
advantage of joining a SHG? |
|
3. |
Will we get
financial relief (subsidy) in the SHG? |
|
4. |
Why join the
SHG? |
|
5. |
Till when
should we save? |
|
6. |
What are the
advantages of saving? |
|
7. |
Will someone
run away with my money? |
|
8. |
How will we
get rid of poverty by saving Rs 40 a
month? |
|
9. |
After I die,
who will my money go to? |
|
10. |
When will we
get money from the bank? |
|
11. |
Why is the
SHG meeting held in every house by turn? |
|
12. |
What is the
interest on the loan? |
|
13. |
Can men
become members of the SHG? |
|
14. |
What happens
if I don’t return the loan that I have
taken from the SHG? |
|
15. |
What happens
if a member runs away with the group’s
money? |
|
16. |
Who keep the
group’s books? |
|
17. |
From where do
we save? |
|
18. |
What will the
Animator/CRP/Samooh Sakhi get? |
|
19. |
Can two women
from a family join the SHG? |
|
20. |
Can there be
office-bearers from one family? |
|
21. |
Can women
from different localities join the same
SHG? |
|
22. |
What will a
Swasthya Sakhi get? |
|
23. |
Who is a CRP
and what will she get? |
|
24. |
How should
the meeting be conducted? |
|
25. |
What is CCL
and how does it happen? |
|
26. |
What is
grading and how is it done? |
|
27. |
What is MCP? |
|
28. |
How is RGMVP
different from other projects? |
|
29. |
What is
Samooh Rasta? |
|
30. |
Is RGMVP
associated with any political party |
|
31. |
How many
members should each SH have? |
|
32. |
Can those
women who have the BPL (Below the
Poverty Line) card in their name join the SHG? |
|
33. |
Can women
from different purvas/villages become
members of the same group? |
|
34. |
On what basis
are members given loans? |
|
35. |
What are the
SHG best practices? |
|
36. |
Can a group
that has been formed wrong be corrected? |
|
37. |
Should all
members be present for the SHG meeting? |
|
38. |
Should the
SHG’s account be in the name of a
particular person? |
|
39. |
Who can take
a loan from the SHG? |
|
40. |
What are the
rules and regulations of a SHG? And why
are they necessary? |
|
41. |
Does the SHG
mean just saving? |
|
42. |
How can
arguments/fights within the SHG be
stopped? |
|
|
1. |
What is this project? |
|
|
This Mission’s name is Rajiv Gandhi
Mahila Vikas Pariyojna, and it is a
special initiative of the Rajiv Gandhi
Charitable Trust. It was started in
April 2002. Under this, women,
especially poor women, are organised
together to form Self
Help Groups (SHGs) and their
associations. This
project has the support of National Bank
for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
and Society for Elimination of Rural
Poverty (SERP), Andhra Pradesh. It has
been proved through the self help group
programmes run in Andhra Pradesh by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and SERP that by organising the poor it is
possible inspire the organised poor to release their immense
capacities so that they can come out
poverty themselves. |
Top |
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2. |
What is the advantage of joining a
SHG? |
|
|
Social experts have likened the SHG to an
obedient son, a mother or to a
temple/mosque/church/gurdwara.
Experience says that a son can cheat his
mother but an ideal son-like SHG will
never cheat its mother-like members.
Never will a SHG mother beg on the
streets. The SHG is likened to the mother because a
mother listens to her children’s
problems and solves them. Similarly, a
SHG too listens to its members’ problems
and helps solve them. A SHG is likened
to a temple/mosque/church/gurdwara,
because people think of allah, parmatma,
vaheguru and god when they go
to these places of worship. In a SHG
too, proceedings begin wit a prayer. A SHG is a
tool of development which has the
potential to bring prosperity to the
family, the village and the entire
nation. |
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3. |
Will we get financial relief
(subsidy) in the SHG? |
|
|
It is important to understand that the
poor’s problems are not solved by
getting money once. To come out of their
problems, they have to take loans many
times and they need support as well.
Only then can they come out of poverty.
As for financial relief, not every
member is eligible for it. Only those
below the poverty line can get a card
that makes them eligible. However, it
has been proved that no person becomes
strong by receiving from others, she
progresses only through her own hard
work. The Mission encourages you to grow
through your own strength. |
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4. |
Why join the SHG? |
|
|
If you want development for yourself and
your family, then it is important to
join the SHG. It is the only weapon that
allows you to develop on all fronts –
economic, social and political. |
Top |
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5. |
Till when should we save? |
|
|
Another sister had asked this question
and our reply was this. We asked how
long she intended to keep the house that
she had built. She replied that she
would keep it as long as it provided her
protection. So we explained that,
similarly, you should save as long as it
benefits you. You must understand that
saving is as important for life as food
is. Just as drops of water slowly fill
the ghara in the rain, small savings
lead to a substantial amount. In
addition, the banks also provide loans
when needed. |
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6. |
What are the advantages of saving? |
|
|
Only savings help in an emergency. We
can earn a lesson from the ants. There
are three seasons in the year: summer,
rains and winter. Summers and the rains
are an emergency situation for the ants
– in the hot season they burn up and in
the rains they are washed away in the
water. So they spend these two seasons
inside their hills. When they come out
in the winter, they collect food bit by
eat; some they eat, the rest they store
away in their hills and use in the
emergency seasons.
Savings lead to security and the bank
only helps on the basis of your savings,
it does not ask for any other
collateral. You will get 10 times what
the savings of your SHG as the first CCL
from the bank. If you follow the best
practices of the SHG, then you can get
your second CCL from the bank – a loan
amount worth Rs 5 lakh. |
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|
7. |
Will someone run away with my money? |
|
|
The money that you collect is not handed
over to any one person. Your Adhyaksh or
Koshadhyaksh will take your savings to
the bank and deposit them. When you are
not giving the money to anyone, how can
they run away with it? |
Top |
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8. |
How will we get rid of poverty by saving
Rs 40 a month? |
|
|
By saving small amounts, you can one day
save thousands of rupees. Today, some of
the older groups like Jai Ma Durge have
savings worth lakhs. For example, in the
old days, wheat used to ground on
chakkis by hand. Women used to take out
one fistful and put it away. So by the
end of the month, they had 30 fistfuls,
which was about 3 or 4 kgs or worth Rs
30 or 40. Similarly, Rs 40 a month turns
into Rs 40,000 after some time. And on
the basis of your savings, the bank
gives you loans through which you can
start a dairy, open a shop or a PCO or
do any other work that you want to do. |
Top |
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9. |
After I die, who will my money go to? |
|
|
God forbid that your life should come to
an end. However, it is a truth of life
that we will all die one day. You need
not worry on this account. Just as when
parents die their wealth goes to the
children, your money will also go to
your children, it will help your family. |
Top |
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10. |
When will we get money from the bank? |
|
|
What you save as a group, you can start
loaning out after two months of the
group being formed. You can avail of
your first CCL six months after the
group is formed. For this, a grading is
done. If your group gets 75 marks or
more in the grading then you become
eligible for the CCL. |
Top |
|
11. |
Why is the SHG meeting held in every
house by turn? |
|
|
By doing this, the family develops
confidence in the group. Also women who
hesitate to take on responsibility can
be brought forward. If the meeting is
held in the house of a member who does
not attend meetings, then she is forced
to take part. Slowly attending meetings
becomes a habit. Every member gets equal
respect. |
Top |
|
12. |
What is the interest on the loan? |
|
|
The interest is decided by the group
itself. If a member is facing a very
difficult situation then it is decided
on a case basis and sometimes not taken
at all. As a practice, most groups take
an interest of 2 percent, and in some
cases on large amounts only 1.5 percent. |
Top |
|
13. |
Can men become members of the SHG? |
|
|
Men cannot become members of women’s
SHGs. If they want, they can start their
own groups. |
Top |
|
14. |
What happens if I don’t return the loan
that I have taken from the SHG? |
|
|
Honesty is the best policy: a thief will
steal all her life will never be happy.
An honest person will always be happy,
her children will do well, there will be
peace and happiness in her house. You
must understand that taking a loan just
once is not going to solve your problem,
taking a loan several times will do
that. If you take a loan and then do
nothing, it will not help you much. If a
member is not returning the loan, then
the SHG should find out if she has a
genuine problem and give her another
chance. If she is knowingly not
returning the loan, then the group
should build peer pressure so that she
returns it. Failure to return the loan
can lead to the SHG confiscating her
assets. |
Top |
|
15. |
What happens if a member runs away with
the group’s money? |
|
|
SHGs are made in a manner that they are
homogenous, which means that the
members’ economic status is the same,
they come from the same locality, and
have similar mindsets. Such women will
not cheat each other. In the unlikely
event that a member runs away with the
group’s money, the SHG can pressurise
the member’s family to return the money. |
Top |
|
16. |
Who keep the group’s books? |
|
|
If you want to move forward, do not rely
on other people. In the beginning, the
Mission staff will help you. But you
must choose one member who is a little
educated and the Mission will train her
in book-keeping. If all members of the
group are uneducated, then the
daughter/son/husband of a member can be
trained so that the SHG can do its own
book-keeping. |
Top |
|
17. |
From where do we save? |
|
|
According to experts, saving that is
made by depriving yourself is true
saving. For example, in the old days,
wheat used to ground on chakkis by hand.
Women used to take out one fistful and
put it away. So by the end of the month,
they had 30 fistfuls, which was about 3
or 4kgs or worth Rs 30 or 40. Nobody
became weak by eating one fistful less
and neither did they become strong by
eating one fistful more. But you had a
saving by the end of the day. |
Top |
|
18. |
What will the Animator/CRP/Samooh Sakhi
get? |
|
|
If you look carefully, you will see that
all that the Mission is doing is for the
community, through the community and
with the community. It is a programme
that brings women together. Women who
become Animators/CRPs/Samooh Sakhis get
recognition, knowledge and respect.
Those who travel to other villages to
give their support, get a small stipend
which is paid by the Mission initially,
and later by the CLA or BLA. |
Top |
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19. |
Can two women from a family join the SHG? |
|
|
No. Only one woman from a family can
join the SHG because, later, when a bank
loan is given with NABARD’s support,
only one member from a family can avail
of the loan. |
Top |
|
20. |
Can there be office-bearers from one
family? |
|
|
No. The SHG decides who becomes an
office-bearer by consensus. Experience
tells us that a good SHG is one in which
responsibility is given to different
members turn by turn. |
Top |
|
21. |
Can women from different localities join
the same SHG? |
|
|
This should not happen. Experience has
shown us that if women belong to the
same locality, they can hold meetings at
any time of day or night, they can
collect together easily, they share in
each others’ good and bad times and
understand each other. There are many
such things which are not possible with
women from other localities. |
Top |
|
22. |
What will a Swasthya Sakhi get? |
|
|
Swasthya Sakhi is a woman who is chosen
by the Gram Sangathan because she
genuinely wants to serve the community.
She will be given free training so that
she herself is careful about her own and
her family’s health and is able to
create awareness about health issues
among other women. She will be
recognised and respected in the village. |
Top |
|
23. |
Who is a CRP and what will she get?
|
|
|
A CRP or Community Resource Person is a
woman who, with the help of the SHG and
through her own efforts, has come out of
poverty. She is an example for the
community. She helps other poor women
and attempts to ensure that they come
out of poverty like she did. She gets
the blessings of poor people whom she
helps which is no small reward. She is
compensated for all the expenditure when
she travels to other villages and
places. |
Top |
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24. |
How should the meeting be conducted? |
|
|
The meeting is called the soul of the
SHG and if the meetings are not
conducted properly then the group does
not last for long. The meeting should be
held while being seated in a circle so
that every member can see each others’
face. Members can talk to each other
face to face and no member is excluded.
It is only when members make eye contact
while talking can the
conversation/discussion be effective.
The meeting should be held on the
scheduled day/date, so that all members
remember and come prepared. It should
always be held at the scheduled time.
Experience shows that meetings held at
night are the most effective. There
should be an agenda for the meeting. A
chairperson should be chosen for every
meeting so that every member gets the
opportunity to develop her leadership
skills. The meetings should be held by
turn in every member’s house. |
Top |
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25. |
What is CCL and how does it happen? |
|
|
CCL or Cash Credit Limit is economic
help that is provided by the bank in the
form of a loan at a low interest rate.
Though the interest rate is 12 percent
per annum, some groups that are run
under RGMVP and are following best
practices, get an interest rate as low
as 6 percent.
Those groups that have been running for
six months, follow best practise, loan
and return their own savings, and need
credit become eligible for the CCL once
they get 75 marks in the grading.
Stamp paper worth Rs 100 is required;
the agreement is signed on this. Other
papers required are: an application from
the organisation which has established
the group called the Sponsorship Letter, on which all members’
photographs are pasted which is proof of
the SHG, a letter from the bank which is
called articles of agreement, and a
request from the SHG which has all
members’ signatures. |
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26. |
What is grading and how is it done? |
|
|
Grading is a process by which the SHG is
evaluated on 10 points. These are: 1.
regular meetings; 2. the presence of all
members in the meetings; 3. constructive
and proactive participation of members
in the meetings; 4. regular savings; 5.
knowledge of the group’s rules by the
members; 6. regular internal give and take of
loans; 7. regular return of loans; 8.
maintenance of books and records; 9.
homogeneity; and 10. an understanding of
the concept of poverty and SHG’s role in
removing it.
Maximum points on the grading: 100
More than 85 points: A: very good
Between 75 and 85 points: B: good
Below 75 points: C: improvement required
If the SHG is graded at 75 points and
above, only then does it become eligible
for the CCL. |
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27. |
What is MCP? |
|
|
MCP or Micro Credit Plan has seven
components: 1. complete information
about the SHG; 2. complete information
about every member of the SHG; 3. a
description of the income and
expenditure of every member; 4. family
income plan; 5. a description of the
loans taken under the first CCL; 6. a
description of the loans taken under the
second CCL; and 7. an agreement between
the members and the SHG, and between the
SHG and the CLA.
Through the MCP, the SHG can get Rs 5
lakh for activities such as income
generation, freedom from debt and social
development schemes. |
Top |
|
28. |
How is RGMVP different from other
projects? |
|
|
The Mission:
- Believes in the sustainable
development of the poor
- Believes in community based
development
- Creates and strengthens village
institutions
- Brings women together
- Believes that the poor have
innate strength and that they come
forward to volunteer
- Believes that the poor do not
need subsidies, they need support to
come out of poverty
- Believes that the poor do not
need credit once or twice but many
times. At least Rs 1.5 lakh of
credit will allow the poor to come
out of poverty
- Enables each SHG to get a first
CCL up to Rs 25,000 and the second
up to Rs 5 lakh
- Believes in community
participation
|
Top |
|
29. |
What is Samooh Rasta? |
|
|
This is a group effort to form new
groups, to instil best practices in
them, and to build other village
institutions. Five-member teams are
formed which include an animator/CRP and
office holders from the CLA and BLA.
These teams use street theatre, songs
and stories about the benefits of the
SHG to motivate the poor to join. |
Top |
|
30. |
Is RGMVP associated with any political
party? |
|
|
Absolutely not. The Mission is run by
the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust which
supports the formation of SHGs and
guides them. As you know, there are many
trusts in the country which are involved
with social development; Rajiv Gandhi
Charitable Trust is one of them. |
Top |
|
31. |
How many members should each SH have? |
|
|
A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20. A
group with more that 20 members would
come under the Company’s Act and would
have to be registered. This is long
process that should be avoided. |
Top |
|
32. |
Can those women who have the BPL (Below
the Poverty Line) card in their name join the SHG? |
|
|
People who hold the BPL card are not the
only poor. There are many other families
which are also poor. The Mission, with
the help of the community, identifies
the poor in each village by evaluating
the sources of income and using wealth
ranking, a Participatory Rural Appraisal
(PRA) process, to determine who is poor. |
Top |
|
33. |
Can women from different purvas/villages
become members of the same group? |
|
|
This should not be done because then the
women members would find it difficult to
attend weekly meetings or to participate
n decision making. Every purva/village
has its own problems. So the members of
the SHG should belong to the same
mohalla. |
Top |
|
34. |
On what basis are members given loans? |
|
|
The SHG itself decides which member gets
the loan first and of what amount. The
SHG members evaluate what a member’s
needs are and how much loan is required
to solve her problem. |
Top |
|
35. |
What are the SHG best practices? |
|
|
These are:
- Weekly meetings
- Weekly savings
- Regular give and take
- Loan return
- Book/record keeping
- Small credit plan
- Human development initiatives
|
Top |
|
36. |
Can a group that has been
formed wrong be corrected? |
|
|
Yes it can be corrected. For instance,
if a woman’s name has been entered as
member against the procedure, then she
can be asked to leave the group with
respect and a more eligible woman
enrolled. |
Top |
|
37. |
Should all members be
present for the SHG meeting? |
|
|
The SHG meeting is an absolutely
essential activity and all members must
be present at the meeting. |
Top |
|
38. |
Should the SHG’s account
be in the name of a particular person? |
|
|
No the account should never be in the
name of a person or an office bearer. It
should be in the name of the group and
should be operated with the agreement of
all members. |
Top |
|
39. |
Who can take a loan from
the SHG? |
|
|
Only members can take loans from the SHG.
According to rules, a person who is not
a member of the SHG should not be given
a loan. However, some SHGs have given
loans to some non-members in dire
straights. That particular woman, having
benefited from the SHG, has later become
a member of the SHG. |
Top |
|
40. |
What are the rules and
regulations of a SHG? And why are they
necessary? |
|
|
You must have noticed that when we walk
down the road we walk on the right side,
we go to the bank at 10 am, we send our
children to school at 7 or 10 am, when
travel by train we buy a ticket. Every
organisation has its own rules and
regulations. These must be followed,
otherwise the person who does not follow
them suffers. Similarly, the SHG has its
own rules and regulations such as weekly
savings, weekly meetings, interest rate,
regular return of loan, annual election
of office bearers, etc. We have aloso
sen that member who do not follow rules
can be punished by the SHG. |
Top |
|
41. |
Does the SHG mean just
saving? |
|
|
Not at all. Saving a process through
which women move towards economic
progress. Social progress is also only
possible through the medium of the SHG.
Many SHGs have managed to stop alcoholic
addiction in their members’ families.
The children of many SHG members are
receiving higher education. Many social
evils have been stopped through SHGs.
Women have been elected Village Pradhan
due to the SHG.
|
Top |
|
42. |
How can arguments/fights
within the SHG be stopped? |
|
|
Fights or arguments break out in the SHG
only when the group is not having
meetings properly, its office bearers
are only thinking only of their own
benefit or the group is not homogenous.
When these shortcomings are removed, the
SHG starts working properly. All SHG
activities should be carried out
according to the rules and regulations. |
Top |
|
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