SUGGESTED MEASURES

Based on the present study the following suggestions have been made for future
line of work.

 Special training programme should be provided regarding the proper account

skeeping and accounting experts should be invited as a resource person so that the
beneficiaries can enhance their accounting knowledge and maintain their cash
book and other necessary books of accounts accurately.

 For better functioning of the groups, benefeciaries should be properly educated

andperiodical training at regular intervals may be made and also a study on the
respective field may be conducted to outcome the findings.

 The various categories for financial institutions in rural under developed market
have exhibited different potentials in serving rural women. There is need to
synchronize their efforts so that their work becomes supplementary and
complementary to them.

 Branch managers of financial institutions should in any case be close to the

communities they serve, and should beaffiliant for any distribution channel through
which they canprofitably reach new customers. They should ensure theexisting
level and types of group activity and informal intermediation, and be ready to offer
services and selling products, which are appropriate for local communities.

 There is urgent need to streamline the procedure for applying, seeking and
releasing of credit from the banks. The procedural difficulties are one of the major
implements, which have deterred beneficiaries from financial benefits from the
banks. Therefore, the procedure for credit access to should be made more easy and
simple.

 Marketing of new distribution may involve training or community and

development skills. Training packages must be evolved for entrepreneurship
development to enable ruralbeneficiaries as successful business managers and
sustain in micro-enterprises. In this task, role of NGO’s, Panchayats, Women’s
organizations etc. may be enhanced to impart training, skill development and
technical knowledge.
 How ever, enacting fresh legislation or appropriate amendments in the existing
legislation related to Micro financial and institutions is the need of the hour.

 Micro-finance as a permitted activity for societies, NGO’s, and voluntary

organizations may be ensured through amending the existing Indian Income Tax
Act, 1956 [Section2(5), Section 11(5)], Societies Registration Act, 1860, FCRA
and RBI Act.

 The micro-financing institutions need proper regulation and operation of

business transactions. Therefore, RBI, SIDBI,NABARD and other organizations
should evolve propermechanism for monitoring, supervision, direction, appraisal
and evaluation of such institution including self help promotion institutions.

 The factors responsible for poor performance of micro finance and functioning
of SHG’s should be investigated, examined and analyzed scientifically and
systematically to resolve the emerging problems, difficulties and challenges being
faced by NGO’s, SHP’s, SHG’s dealing with microfinance.

 More research should be carried out to assess the impact of micro- credit
through SHG’s. The impact assessment should be more focussed on socio-
economic empowerment of48members, social change, dynamics of groups,
business, leadership, promotion of viable micro enterprises etc.

 Social capability building programmes should be organized from time to time to

train the NGO’s activists, volunteers, Panchayat representatives, members of youth
clubs etc. to promote small savings and women’s active and positive role in
development process, ensuring their rights, entitlements and due share in
developmental benefits.

 Transformation of the repayment culture is required. An expansion of micro-

financial services will need not only appropriate and efficient micro products on a
very large scale, but also customers who care willingly to pay the full costs of
those services. Bankers must change their attitude to wards small loans to poor,
including women and start seeing them as a social obligation in treating them as
potential business.

 Policy makers need to recognize the potential of micro financial services to

support investment and growth in key economic sectors and hence to contribute
significantly tonational economic growth.

 The key elements in the survival and sustainability of the SHG’s should
naturally be built on those elements that have brought the group together. They
have to evolve as sustainable

village level institutions for taking active role in development and governance49

Conclusion :

Finance is an element which everyone needs. Regular and immediate finance an

play an important role for development of economic conditions of the people
particularly the rural poor. Microfinance is expected to play a significant role in
poverty alleviation and rural development institutions in India is very high. Major
cross-section can have been benefited if this sector will grow in its fastest pace.
From

the analysis of data it can be concluded that numbers of members have started
savings only after

joining the groups while majority of the members have no savings in the pre- SHG
era. After joining

the groups most of the members solved their problems alone.

It is important to understand that the success of the SHGs depends upon its proper

implementation. To examine and analyse the performance of the scheme in the

selected area, a field

study was carried out within Lawngtlai District, which is one of the poorest
District in the State of

Mizoram. The study examined the impact of the SHGs as measured by change in
income levels,

savings levels, acquiring of new assets, self – confidence, proper health and
medication facilities.

Using three stage sampling method, 300 benefecieries were selected. Closed ended
questionnaires
were used to gather information from all the stakeholders in MNREGA. By
comparing the monthly

income on the benefecieries before and after SHGs, it was found that the income
bracket

above`10,000 per month, the total number of benefeciaries have increased by 6.7
% while a

substantial decrease of upto 9.3% for the bracket of no income per month was
observed. Likewise

in the saving bracket of `50-100 per month, the total number of benefeciaries have
increased by

26% . At the same time, at the saving bracket below `50, a decrease of up to 29.3%
was observed. It

was also found that a majority of the benefecieries were able to buy new assets
after joining SHGs.

It was also found that throught SHGs, 242 new employment opportunities were
generated after the

proper implementation of the Self Help Groups. Apart from these, there were 39%
of the

respondents claiming that joining SHGs have improve their self confidence. A
majority of the

respondents have met with Government Officials after joining SHGs which further
boosted the

confidence level among the respondents. Its was also observed that there is a
significant increase

towards the Health and Sanitation facilities in their respective villages.

Implementation of SHGs is a programmed that has immense potential to improve

the gap
between urban and rural India leading to rural development and provide a stable
income for the

beneficiaries. The study reveals that despite numerous problems, implementation

of SHGs has

begun to make a difference in the lives of rural inhabitations. These results

suggests that SHGs has a

significant impact on the Socio-Economic factor of rural Lawngtlai District.

50

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