A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All
Mani, Gyanendra
- Microfinance in Distressed Areas of J&K, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh:Some Issues
Authors
1 Department of Economic Analysis and Research, NABARD, Mumbai, IN
Source
The Microfinance Review, Vol 7, No 2 (2015), Pagination: 1-25Abstract
This paper attempts to understand as to how effectively microfinance interventions help group members to sustain themselves during periods of disaster and in ecologically distressed areas. The multiplicity of Self-Help Group (SHG) promotion schemes/ institutions and the difference in financial benefits accruing therefrom has been found to have encouraged the migration of a significant number of SHGs/WSHGs ( Women Self- Help Group) promoted under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) format to the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) format. The major issues emerging from field visits and requiring attention were, lack of need based credit support to groups, apathy from banks and denial of credit by some branch managers to SHGs, insufficient credit for income generating activities on account of various reasons, good number of groups not practicing/ not allowed to practice internal lending, etc. The solution to addressing the inequities in the various microfinance approaches lies in Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) agreeing to extend financial support available under NRLM to all the SHGs in a district, irrespective of the SHG promoting institution/ model. The possibility of working out a new set of work allocation between MoRD and NABARD may be explored taking the entire process of livelihood promotion in the country to a higher plane. Further, since the extant microfinance initiatives have not been able to provide an adequate coping mechanism to the SHG members during the periods of disaster/extreme stress and the rural poor barely manage to stay above subsistence levels only because of the extant social security schemes, such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), food subsidy under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), and interest subvention, as a solution, therefore, a two pronged strategy is recommended, comprising (i) a microfinance product specially designed for disaster-prone areas aimed at ensuring a viable productive unit and (ii) enhanced social security measures in such areas in terms of number of schemes with higher ceiling for various programmes.Keywords
Self-Help Groups, Microfinance.
- Remittance Options of Rural Migrant Worker:A Case Study of Workers Engaged in Construction Works
Authors
1 Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow-226012, IN
Source
The Microfinance Review, Vol 2, No 2 (2010), Pagination: 212-228Abstract
Migration of workers from the place of their domicile to another destination is influenced by a set of factors which are specific to person, region, prevailing circumstances, geo-political conditions of the region and the country, etc., of both the place of domicile as well as the new destination. The sample includes 97 workers temporarily migrated from different states of the country to Lucknow and engaged in various activities like, construction, electric fittings, plumbing, maintenance of colony, etc. The study found that the 'hand carrying' is the most popular method of remittance (61.2% of total money remitted) amongst the migrant workers followed by sending money through friends/relatives and other known persons (18.0% of the total money remitted). Remittances through banks was found to the tune of 11.1% of total money remitted by the sample workers. The study concludes that the best possible solution to the problems relating to remittance of the migrant workers would be to facilitate every household to have one Saving Bank account with any bank having CBS or have an arrangement with a bank with CBS facility. However, till this option become a reality, as an alternative model and an intermediate step, all the telecom companies may be convinced to facilitate remittance through mobile banking where the mobile with the migrant workers may be charged with any amount and transferred to the mobile of the recipient which can be encashed at the authorised counters of the telecom companies.- Two Decades of SHG-Bank Linkage Programme:Different Facets@
Authors
1 Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow, IN
2 Centre for Microfinance Research, BIRD, Lucknow, IN
Source
The Microfinance Review, Vol 4, No 1 (2012), Pagination: 137-156Abstract
The implementation of Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP) during the last two decades (1992-2012) in the country has given NABARD enough experience and confidence to take the movement to the next higher stage, i.e., the SHG-2 which, in addition to many new features, would focus more on sustainability aspects of SBLP. Among the various initiatives being proposed under SHG-2, the most important of those is the promotion of voluntary savings to generate resources at the SHG level so that dependency on external sources of fund can be minimised. Cash credit as preferred mode of lending, scope for multiple borrowings by SHG members matching with their repaying capacity, avenues to meet higher credit requirements for livelihood creation, need for SHG Federations as non-financial intermediary, rating and audit of SHGs as part of risk mitigation system, strengthening monitoring mechanisms, etc., are some of the other proposed features of SHG-2.
However, some of the unfinished agenda of SHG-1, particularly, the challenges/issues, viz., issues relating to outreach (whether all very poor or hard core poor identified and included in financially under SBLP), quality and sustainability of Self-Help Groups, serious efforts pertaining to convergence of SBLP with SGSY approaches taking the strengths of both for achieving the target of financial inclusion, and graduation of groups from consumption to production to investment credit finally leading to graduation to micro-enterprise level posing severe challenges relating to entrepreneurship development, appropriate technology and product design and marketing of rural products, need to be given priority while designing the roadmap for the SHG-2.
Keywords
Transformational M-Banking, Models of M-Banking, Financial Inclusion Bank-Mobile Partnership.- Is Convergence of SHGs and SGSY Approaches of Lending a Necessary Condition for the Growth of Microfinance Sector in India?
Authors
1 Andman and Nicobar R.O., NABARD, IN
2 Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow, IN
Source
The Microfinance Review, Vol 1, No 1 (2009), Pagination: 121-130Abstract
"Growth with Social Justice" being one of the objectives of the planning process since its inception in 1951, planned efforts were made to ameliorate the living standard of masses in a systematic manner. The strategy for raising the standard of living or the quality of life of the people was mainly based on the 'trickle down effect' which anticipates that the growth of the economy and the per capita income would lead to a better standard of living. However, this strategy could not deliver the desired results on account of various factors. As the basic objective of development of a nation is to improve the welfare of the people, every nation strives hard not only to increase her wealth and productive resources but also to ensure better standard of living by providing them with sufficient food, shelter, clothing, medical facilities, education, etc., the formulation of a comprehensive and long term plan to achieve the welfare objectives of human being has become imperative.- Microfinance in North Eastern Region of India:Status and Issues
Authors
1 Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow, IN
Source
The Microfinance Review, Vol 3, No 1 (2011), Pagination: 74-93Abstract
North Eastern (NE) Region of the country is not only underserved as far availability of formal banking outlets are concerned but is also not able to attract other micro-credit providers (MFIs, etc.) on account of the prevailing geo-political environment which have not been considered to be very conducive by the outsiders. Further, most of the people in the region are availing only 'Savings' and Credit products from the formal banking system, the concept of composite financial product in form of demand based 'Savings' and/ or 'Credit' as main product and 'micro-insurance, micro-pension, etc., as add-on products is yet to get any acceptance in the region both at the MFI/ NGO or even at bank level as well as at client level.
A large number of traditional informal micro-finance institutions in form of 'Rotating Savings and Credit Association' (ROSCAs) and 'Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations' (ASCAs) are existing in North East Region which have been formed to cope up with various risk arising on account of failure or disturbances in the social, economic and natural systems. It is felt that there is a need to institutionalized these informal institutions and an attempt should be made to facilitate the convergence of these traditional groups with various developmental programmes which are either in place or being initiated by the government and other stakeholders including banks, NGOs/ MFIs etc to provide livelihood and social security in the North Eastern Region.