Published Paper Details:

Self Help Group (SHG) is a unique system of organization and finance management by its members in a democratic way through regular savings, flexible working system and pooling of resources. It also provides a forum for social interaction, which serves as an alternate peer level interactive social structure. The present study was carried out in two villages of Jorhat district, Assam (India); covering nine women SHGs. The purpose was to analyze the income, expenditure and savings of the members after joining SHGs; thereby generating comprehensive knowledge for the participation of women SHGs in various income-generating activities. The result shows that the maximum number of members in SHGs was found in the 31-40 age groups, while most members (38.89%) joined the SHGs for promoting saving. The income of the SHG members increased positively, which in turn increased the monthly expenditure. The study also revealed that the most popular economic activity taken up by the individuals after joining the SHGs was Handloom (27.78%). The incremental income not only enhanced the expenditure of the family but also promoted the savings of the family after they join the SHGs, which had a positive impact for their empowerment by enhancing their access to financial services.