August 11, 2008
 “The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, has constituted an Expert Group to examine the successor to the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP): Swarnjayanti Gram Swa-Rozgar Yojana (SGSY)…."

“…. In this context I had visited Jagdishpur Block in Sultanpur district (Uttar Pradesh) ….. to get a brief first-hand view of the SHG movement in that block. In that block, SHGs have been supported by MORD’s SGSY programme as well as the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (the latter supported by NABARD). There seem to be an interesting contrast between the SGSY supported groups and the NABARD ones. The SGSY group (e.g. making agarbatis) seemed to lack the facilitation and the hand-holding that SHGs of poor women normally need. In fact, the overwhelming evidence from SHGs supported by Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Andhra Pradesh and Kudumbshree, Kerala is that hand-holding by professional facilitators of the SHGs is a critical factor underlying the success of the SHGs. The same support seems to be available for the NABARD-supported SHGs in Jagdishpur Block.”

“A variety of SHGs-based economic activities have already been undertaken in Jagdishpur Block: Leather work (I personally saw one rural mart selling leather products), candle and agarbatti making, vermi composed, dairying and so on. The degree of empowerment resulting from the enhancement of income that SHGs members had experienced – on which I heard personal stories – clearly demonstrate that there is a huge potential for the expansion of the SHG movement in Sultanpur district and the rest of the Uttar Pradesh as well.”

“I came back from Jagdishpur Block enormously enthused and exhilarated from the experience of listening to personal stories about
(a) increase in incomes resulting from participation in SHGs;
(b) enormous increase in self confidence that women members of SHGs had experienced; and
(c) the deep sense of mutual solidarity that had given these women great hope in their own ability to influence not only their own destiny and that of their family, but even influence local officials (e.g. the anganwadi workers, the village surpanch, etc).

“Clearly the Planning Commission needs to remain focused on ensuring the early restructuring of SGSY as well as the appropriate design of the World Bank project to enable rapid growth of the women SHG movement in rural Uttar Pradesh.”