Enhancing the productivity of Small Scale Women Entrepreneurs and Small Farmers availing Microfinance services through Self-Help Groups - The emerging role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Soumitro Chakravarty, Umesh Prasad, A. N. Jha · 2015
The mechanism of Self-Help Group based Microfinance has been very dominantly used over the last few decades across various parts of the world to alleviate poverty and empower women including developing countries like India. Microfinance based SHGs provide customized financial services to the members who use these loans for productive purposes. A majority of the beneficiaries use these loans for enhancing their farm based activities and setting small enterprises which are engaged in activities like candle making, pickle making, handicrafts etc. The SHG movement which has seen a noticeable growth over the past couple of decades has coincided with the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which have revolutionized the way business is conducted worldwide. In such a scenario, it is interesting the explore the potential role that ICT can play in enhancing the productivity of Women's cooperatives and small farmers who avail micro-finance services through self-help groups. The present working paper tries to explore this aspect in context of a developing country like India relying heavily upon an extensive review of literature on the subject and information gathered from interviews and focus group discussions with NGOs project coordinating staff and SHG group members.