Published Paper Details:

The creation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) has been seen as a crucial tactic in combating the worrying levels of poverty and marginalization that have followed global progress since the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000. SHGs are small, voluntary groups of individuals from a similar socioeconomic background that were formed with the intention of resolving common social and economic issues by supporting one another. It has been expected that such grassroots unity will foster communal empowerment and guard against economic exclusion. This presumption is primarily based on the global, neo-liberal agenda, which calls on the State to stop providing for social needs. In India, SHGs are frequently used, particularly to end the social marginalisation of impoverished women and increase their access to healthcare. With an emphasis on its implementation in the Indian State of Maharashtra, this article examines the potential and constraints of SHGs in enhancing women's health. By examining the vital roles of caste and class in access to health care, it critically evaluates the extent to which SHGs may be involved in achieving improved health for women and children. The article's conclusion is that international policy circles' solutions like SHGs fail to recognize local structural contexts like caste and class, leading to the development of instrumental zed strategies that are unlikely to result in the equitable delivery of health services to the underprivileged and marginalized.