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CONCLUSION . Micro finance is not the solution to poverty or empowerment- at best it is one element in the larger framework of development needs For women’s empowerment to be addressed, women need to be enabled to define their priorities and demand their rights. RECOMMENDATIONS. Governance
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CONCLUSION Micro finance is not the solution to poverty or empowerment- at best it is one element in the larger framework of development needs For women’s empowerment to be addressed, women need to be enabled to define their priorities and demand their rights.
RECOMMENDATIONS Governance • Panchayats as the institutions of governance at the grassroot level must have representation of women from marginalised communities, SHGs and VOs and other forums to ensure that their priorities and needs are represented in the grassroots planning process for development. • A process of decentralized planning should be adopted within which a % of resources are allocated for the women’s plans,(as in the Kerala Model); women from SHGs and VOs etc should determine the use and management of such resources based on their priorities
Governance (contd)….. • Role of the State wrt SHGs should be focused on ensuring quality governance, for which the SHGs and VOs should be viewed as mechanisms for engagement of marginalized groups and women- in determining priorities and demanding accountability in the sectors of health, education, livelihood strengthening, social justice etc. Micro credit provision would then be one component within the larger development agenda.
Empowerment • The Mahila Samakhya Program as a state institutional program should be responsible for the capacity development needs of women from marginalized communities and in SHGs to enable them to engage and negotiate their priorities related to empowerment and development. • The state should focus on ensuring quality delivery of services and promotion of a supportive environment for women’s empowerment
Recommendations…. 2 Micro credit and Micro finance • The state should institute Regulatory frameworks for the functioning of Micro finance institutions • These financial institutions engaged with women’s thrift and credit groups be mandated to contribute to a Womens Crisis Fund to address women’s needs. This fund should be devolved to the women’s groups at panchayat level- violence, health, food etc; this fund being managed by the SHGs and womens VOs at grassroots level
Recommendations…Poverty In order to address poverty and development needs of marginalized communities, it is necessary that processes of decentralized planning are adopted. Such processes allow communities to inform the development needs and define the course of development towards their wellbeing, rather than delimit the direction of development to linkages with the market and redressal of material aspirations per se.
Strengthening Institutional Mechanisms A Committee on the Status of SHGs and SHG based policies and programmes should be constituted to review the existing perspective, policies and programmes related to SHGs in order to strengthen their potential towards addressing the social, economic and political rights of women. The members of the Committee should include eminent academics and practitioners who have a substantive engagement with issues of women’s empowerment, poverty and livelihoods. DATA to validate claims of achievements and impact The State and other Institutions engaged with SHGs should make available the data related to achievements in PovertyEmpowerment and Literacy. Such data should be disaggregated by caste and class categories to enable a realistic assessment.