Journal of Infrastructure Development, Jun 1, 2021
This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign ... more This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign direct investments (FDI), economic growth, fixed capital formation, labour and inflation rate in the context of India for the period 1970 to 2018 through the application of Toda–Yamamoto (TY) causality test and the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to offer policy implications of the effectiveness of these important macroeconomic determinants in the short and long-run. This article developed two composite indices, namely, infrastructure development index (INFI) and trade openness index (TOI) and used to see the effectiveness of infrastructure indicators and trade openness on economic growth along with other variables of interest. Results suggest a strong causal short and long run interrelationship among infrastructure, FDIs, trade openness and economic growth during 1970–2018. In the long run, a bi-directional relationship exists between INFI and GDP, suggesting that India should expedite construction of adequate and expanded infrastructure facilities in the economy and among others things, frame its policy in a more liberalised manner for various sectors including infrastructure with a view to attracting more FDI inflows and making more openness to trade and globalisation within the environment of ease of doing business that would help to sustain higher economic growth for long period, accomplishing the goal of US$5 trillion economy by 2024–25. JEL Classification:H54, O1, H4, O4, P33, L9, C32
This paper studies the impact of group-based microfinance interventions on the income of rural ho... more This paper studies the impact of group-based microfinance interventions on the income of rural households in an Indian state. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select households from four districts in the state of Orissa. The sample households were further classified into two groups according to their livelihood patterns: agriculture & allied activity and micro-enterprise & trading activity. A comparison between the target group of households participating in microfinance programs and a control group was carried out by a univariate z-test and by multiple regression analysis. The inequality in income distribution was analyzed in terms of the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve. The study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programs on the income of the participating households.
This study examines the link between educational levels (literacy) and economic growth and estima... more This study examines the link between educational levels (literacy) and economic growth and estimates the impact of education on economic growth in Assam over the period of 2001-2011. The study is based on the use of the collection of secondary data from various publications like Census Report 2011, Government of India, Statistical Handbook of Assam, and Economic Survey, Assam. Both Karl Pearson's coefficient of correlation and regression tools are used to estimate the results. The empirical result reveals that there is a positive and significant relationship between education (literacy rate) and gross state domestic product (GSDP). Also, regression results confirmed that about 92 percent increment in GSDP of Assam could be explained by the increase in the literacy rate in the state. The study concludes with the suggestion that along with the efforts to achieve full literacy, necessary steps be undertaken for developing the specific technical skills and knowledge that are relevan...
Financial inclusion has become a policy priority to “inclusive growth ” in India. Financial inclu... more Financial inclusion has become a policy priority to “inclusive growth ” in India. Financial inclusion of the poor can ultimately result in reduction of poverty instigating inclusive growth. Financial inclusion refers to a situation where people in general have basic formal banking/financial practices. Conversely people in general having no such basic habits are financial excluded. The north eastern region of India is having the highest number of population outside the ambit of formal banking system with more than 70 percent of the districts of Assam with an exclusion rate of 96.1-98.5 percent. The SHG-bank linkage programme has emerged in as an effective instrument for basic financial services to common section of the society. The programme has helped in providing banking services to the uncovered rural poor. This paper examines the impact Self-Help Groups (SHGs) on financial inclusion of rural people in the district of Baksa, Assam. A total of 180 respondents [(90 participants) and...
The study examines the empirical relationship between education expenditure, higher education and... more The study examines the empirical relationship between education expenditure, higher education and economic growth in the context of India using time series econometric analysis for the time period 1971-2015 based on Vector Autoregression (VAR) model and Johansen’s Cointegration procedure. The time series data were verified for the stationary properties by using Augmented Dickey Fuller and Phillips-Perron test techniques which showed the variables to be integrated of order one I(1). The Johansen co integration of trace and maximum Eigen value tests indicated the presence of one co-integrating relationship among the variables, that is, the existence of long run relationship among the variables under investigation. The Granger causality test results indicated a unidirectional causality that runs from government expenditure on education to economic growth and also the existence of unidirectional causality between higher education and economic growth that run from economic growth to high...
Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socio-economic zone. Poverty is a plague ... more Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socio-economic zone. Poverty is a plague afflicting people all over the world and is one of the most serious manifestations of human deprivation. Hence, the issue of poverty is a global concern. Poverty encompasses inadequate income and denial of the basic necessities such as education, health services, clean water and sanitation which are essential for human survival and dignity. Eradication of poverty is one of the major objectives of Millennium Development Goals. This study, therefore, seeks to assess poverty levels and socio-economic determinants of household welfare in Udalguri district of Assam with the view to providing recommendations for policy formulation that could help reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of the people in the study area. Key Word: Household, Poverty Index, Welfare, Udalguri.
This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign ... more This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign direct investments (FDI), economic growth, fixed capital formation, labour and inflation rate in the context of India for the period 1970 to 2018 through the application of Toda–Yamamoto (TY) causality test and the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to offer policy implications of the effectiveness of these important macroeconomic determinants in the short and long-run. This article developed two composite indices, namely, infrastructure development index (INFI) and trade openness index (TOI) and used to see the effectiveness of infrastructure indicators and trade openness on economic growth along with other variables of interest. Results suggest a strong causal short and long run interrelationship among infrastructure, FDIs, trade openness and economic growth during 1970–2018. In the long run, a bi-directional relationship exists between INFI...
The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations sugg... more The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations suggests that the empowerment of rural women can be achieved through the provision of micro-credit to Self-Help Group (SHG) members. This study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of SHGs in economic empowerment of women in Assam. The study was based on primary data collected from Baksa district of Assam through interview of SHG member beneficiaries. A total of 100 members from 50 groups of two blocks (25 SHGs from each block) formed the sample size of the study. The study revealed that majority of the respondents belongs to the age group of 25 to 45 and have educational qualification of primary education and most of them are married and major portion of the respondents have 4 to 6 dependents. A number of income generating activities were undertaken by the members after joining SHGs. The result showed positive change in indicators of economic empowerment, viz., income, employment and...
Rural nonfarm employment beyond agricultural diversification is affected by numerous and empirica... more Rural nonfarm employment beyond agricultural diversification is affected by numerous and empirically unidentified factors in different rural space. Gathering primary data from 200 rural households located in Baksa district of Assam and using a logit model, this study explores the nature of rural nonfarm employment diversification strategy and identifies the underlying factors influencing households’ decision of participation in rural nonfarm strategy as primary employment. The survey results unveiled that rural nonfarm households diversify their employment more as self-employed strategy in nonfarm activity, earning higher income as compared to agricultural families. The empirical model estimated the results that participation in nonfarm activities by rural households was driven by both developmental and distress-push factors. Household income from agriculture, age and education level of the household head, and family size are significant development related factors and poverty of ho...
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socioeconomic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socioeconomic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development.
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural
house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development. Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development.
Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socioeconomic zone. Poverty is a plague a... more Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socioeconomic zone. Poverty is a plague afflicting people all over the world and is one of the most serious manifestations of human deprivation. Hence, the issue of poverty is a global concern. Poverty encompasses inadequate income and denial of the basic necessities such as education, health services, clean water and sanitation which are essential for human survival and dignity. Eradication of poverty is one of the major objectives of Millennium Development Goals. This study, therefore, seeks to assess poverty levels and socioeconomic determinants of household welfare in Udalguri district of Assam with the view to providing recommendations for policy formulation that could help reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of the people in the study area.
The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations sugg... more The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations suggests that the empowerment of rural women can be achieved through the provision of micro-credit to Self-Help Group (SHG) members. This study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of SHGs in economic empowerment of women in Assam. The study was based on primary data collected from Baksa district of Assam through interview of SHG member beneficiaries. A total of 100 members from 50 groups of two blocks (25 SHGs from each block) formed the sample size of the study. The study revealed that majority of the respondents belongs to the age group of 25 to 45 and have educational qualification of primary education and most of them are married and major portion of the respondents have 4 to 6 dependents. A number of income generating activities were undertaken by the members after joining SHGs. The result showed positive change in indicators of economic empowerment, viz., income, employment and savings after joining the SHG. The calculated value of Wilcoxon signed Ranks Test for the economic indicators were significant. It revealed that majority of the respondent's income, employment days and amount of savings increased in the post-SHG situation as compared to pre-SHG situation. Thus the study concluded that SHGs have been playing a vital role in the empowerment of rural women in the study area. I. Introduction: The empowerment of women is crucial for the economic development of a nation and building a base for social change. In order to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the population of any country, it has become prerequisite to empower women by enhancing and ensuring their role to the optimal level. The development strategies could no longer achieve their targeted goal which neglects the need for participation and contribution of women to the society. Only when women are considered as equal partners in progress with men, all round development and harmonious growth of any country would be possible. Thus, emancipation of women is a prerequisite for nation " s economic development and social upliftment and without the provision of equal economic and social opportunities to women, emancipation cannot truly happen. Bringing women into the mainstream of development is one of the major challenges for developing countries like India. The idea of women empowerment was introduced at the World women " s conference in 1985. In India, the empowering women was focused in the eight five year plan (1992-1997) at the grassroots level and empowering women through translating the recently adopted National Policy for Empowerment of Women (2001) into action and ensuring survival, protection and development of women and children through right based approach was taken care in tenth five year plan (2002-2007). The Government of India has launched and implemented a number of schemes towards poverty alleviation and women empowerment but it was observed that women in rural areas especially from the poor families could not be benefitted. This led to the country to launch a mother programme called Swarna-Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) which was based on a group approach. Here, the rural poor especially women were organized into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to enable them to take up viable economic activities on their own on a sustained basis with the support from bank loans and government subsidy.
Journal of Infrastructure Development, Jun 1, 2021
This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign ... more This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign direct investments (FDI), economic growth, fixed capital formation, labour and inflation rate in the context of India for the period 1970 to 2018 through the application of Toda–Yamamoto (TY) causality test and the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to offer policy implications of the effectiveness of these important macroeconomic determinants in the short and long-run. This article developed two composite indices, namely, infrastructure development index (INFI) and trade openness index (TOI) and used to see the effectiveness of infrastructure indicators and trade openness on economic growth along with other variables of interest. Results suggest a strong causal short and long run interrelationship among infrastructure, FDIs, trade openness and economic growth during 1970–2018. In the long run, a bi-directional relationship exists between INFI and GDP, suggesting that India should expedite construction of adequate and expanded infrastructure facilities in the economy and among others things, frame its policy in a more liberalised manner for various sectors including infrastructure with a view to attracting more FDI inflows and making more openness to trade and globalisation within the environment of ease of doing business that would help to sustain higher economic growth for long period, accomplishing the goal of US$5 trillion economy by 2024–25. JEL Classification:H54, O1, H4, O4, P33, L9, C32
This paper studies the impact of group-based microfinance interventions on the income of rural ho... more This paper studies the impact of group-based microfinance interventions on the income of rural households in an Indian state. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select households from four districts in the state of Orissa. The sample households were further classified into two groups according to their livelihood patterns: agriculture & allied activity and micro-enterprise & trading activity. A comparison between the target group of households participating in microfinance programs and a control group was carried out by a univariate z-test and by multiple regression analysis. The inequality in income distribution was analyzed in terms of the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve. The study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programs on the income of the participating households.
This study examines the link between educational levels (literacy) and economic growth and estima... more This study examines the link between educational levels (literacy) and economic growth and estimates the impact of education on economic growth in Assam over the period of 2001-2011. The study is based on the use of the collection of secondary data from various publications like Census Report 2011, Government of India, Statistical Handbook of Assam, and Economic Survey, Assam. Both Karl Pearson's coefficient of correlation and regression tools are used to estimate the results. The empirical result reveals that there is a positive and significant relationship between education (literacy rate) and gross state domestic product (GSDP). Also, regression results confirmed that about 92 percent increment in GSDP of Assam could be explained by the increase in the literacy rate in the state. The study concludes with the suggestion that along with the efforts to achieve full literacy, necessary steps be undertaken for developing the specific technical skills and knowledge that are relevan...
Financial inclusion has become a policy priority to “inclusive growth ” in India. Financial inclu... more Financial inclusion has become a policy priority to “inclusive growth ” in India. Financial inclusion of the poor can ultimately result in reduction of poverty instigating inclusive growth. Financial inclusion refers to a situation where people in general have basic formal banking/financial practices. Conversely people in general having no such basic habits are financial excluded. The north eastern region of India is having the highest number of population outside the ambit of formal banking system with more than 70 percent of the districts of Assam with an exclusion rate of 96.1-98.5 percent. The SHG-bank linkage programme has emerged in as an effective instrument for basic financial services to common section of the society. The programme has helped in providing banking services to the uncovered rural poor. This paper examines the impact Self-Help Groups (SHGs) on financial inclusion of rural people in the district of Baksa, Assam. A total of 180 respondents [(90 participants) and...
The study examines the empirical relationship between education expenditure, higher education and... more The study examines the empirical relationship between education expenditure, higher education and economic growth in the context of India using time series econometric analysis for the time period 1971-2015 based on Vector Autoregression (VAR) model and Johansen’s Cointegration procedure. The time series data were verified for the stationary properties by using Augmented Dickey Fuller and Phillips-Perron test techniques which showed the variables to be integrated of order one I(1). The Johansen co integration of trace and maximum Eigen value tests indicated the presence of one co-integrating relationship among the variables, that is, the existence of long run relationship among the variables under investigation. The Granger causality test results indicated a unidirectional causality that runs from government expenditure on education to economic growth and also the existence of unidirectional causality between higher education and economic growth that run from economic growth to high...
Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socio-economic zone. Poverty is a plague ... more Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socio-economic zone. Poverty is a plague afflicting people all over the world and is one of the most serious manifestations of human deprivation. Hence, the issue of poverty is a global concern. Poverty encompasses inadequate income and denial of the basic necessities such as education, health services, clean water and sanitation which are essential for human survival and dignity. Eradication of poverty is one of the major objectives of Millennium Development Goals. This study, therefore, seeks to assess poverty levels and socio-economic determinants of household welfare in Udalguri district of Assam with the view to providing recommendations for policy formulation that could help reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of the people in the study area. Key Word: Household, Poverty Index, Welfare, Udalguri.
This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign ... more This study examines the dynamic interrelationships among infrastructure, trade openness, foreign direct investments (FDI), economic growth, fixed capital formation, labour and inflation rate in the context of India for the period 1970 to 2018 through the application of Toda–Yamamoto (TY) causality test and the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to offer policy implications of the effectiveness of these important macroeconomic determinants in the short and long-run. This article developed two composite indices, namely, infrastructure development index (INFI) and trade openness index (TOI) and used to see the effectiveness of infrastructure indicators and trade openness on economic growth along with other variables of interest. Results suggest a strong causal short and long run interrelationship among infrastructure, FDIs, trade openness and economic growth during 1970–2018. In the long run, a bi-directional relationship exists between INFI...
The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations sugg... more The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations suggests that the empowerment of rural women can be achieved through the provision of micro-credit to Self-Help Group (SHG) members. This study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of SHGs in economic empowerment of women in Assam. The study was based on primary data collected from Baksa district of Assam through interview of SHG member beneficiaries. A total of 100 members from 50 groups of two blocks (25 SHGs from each block) formed the sample size of the study. The study revealed that majority of the respondents belongs to the age group of 25 to 45 and have educational qualification of primary education and most of them are married and major portion of the respondents have 4 to 6 dependents. A number of income generating activities were undertaken by the members after joining SHGs. The result showed positive change in indicators of economic empowerment, viz., income, employment and...
Rural nonfarm employment beyond agricultural diversification is affected by numerous and empirica... more Rural nonfarm employment beyond agricultural diversification is affected by numerous and empirically unidentified factors in different rural space. Gathering primary data from 200 rural households located in Baksa district of Assam and using a logit model, this study explores the nature of rural nonfarm employment diversification strategy and identifies the underlying factors influencing households’ decision of participation in rural nonfarm strategy as primary employment. The survey results unveiled that rural nonfarm households diversify their employment more as self-employed strategy in nonfarm activity, earning higher income as compared to agricultural families. The empirical model estimated the results that participation in nonfarm activities by rural households was driven by both developmental and distress-push factors. Household income from agriculture, age and education level of the household head, and family size are significant development related factors and poverty of ho...
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socioeconomic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socioeconomic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development.
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural
house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development. Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.
This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural house... more This paper examines the impact of group-based microfinance programme on the income of rural households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age, education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members, children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of inclusive development.
Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socioeconomic zone. Poverty is a plague a... more Poverty is almost a social misery contaminated in every socioeconomic zone. Poverty is a plague afflicting people all over the world and is one of the most serious manifestations of human deprivation. Hence, the issue of poverty is a global concern. Poverty encompasses inadequate income and denial of the basic necessities such as education, health services, clean water and sanitation which are essential for human survival and dignity. Eradication of poverty is one of the major objectives of Millennium Development Goals. This study, therefore, seeks to assess poverty levels and socioeconomic determinants of household welfare in Udalguri district of Assam with the view to providing recommendations for policy formulation that could help reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of the people in the study area.
The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations sugg... more The empowerment of women is crucial for the development of a nation. Evidence across nations suggests that the empowerment of rural women can be achieved through the provision of micro-credit to Self-Help Group (SHG) members. This study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of SHGs in economic empowerment of women in Assam. The study was based on primary data collected from Baksa district of Assam through interview of SHG member beneficiaries. A total of 100 members from 50 groups of two blocks (25 SHGs from each block) formed the sample size of the study. The study revealed that majority of the respondents belongs to the age group of 25 to 45 and have educational qualification of primary education and most of them are married and major portion of the respondents have 4 to 6 dependents. A number of income generating activities were undertaken by the members after joining SHGs. The result showed positive change in indicators of economic empowerment, viz., income, employment and savings after joining the SHG. The calculated value of Wilcoxon signed Ranks Test for the economic indicators were significant. It revealed that majority of the respondent's income, employment days and amount of savings increased in the post-SHG situation as compared to pre-SHG situation. Thus the study concluded that SHGs have been playing a vital role in the empowerment of rural women in the study area. I. Introduction: The empowerment of women is crucial for the economic development of a nation and building a base for social change. In order to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the population of any country, it has become prerequisite to empower women by enhancing and ensuring their role to the optimal level. The development strategies could no longer achieve their targeted goal which neglects the need for participation and contribution of women to the society. Only when women are considered as equal partners in progress with men, all round development and harmonious growth of any country would be possible. Thus, emancipation of women is a prerequisite for nation " s economic development and social upliftment and without the provision of equal economic and social opportunities to women, emancipation cannot truly happen. Bringing women into the mainstream of development is one of the major challenges for developing countries like India. The idea of women empowerment was introduced at the World women " s conference in 1985. In India, the empowering women was focused in the eight five year plan (1992-1997) at the grassroots level and empowering women through translating the recently adopted National Policy for Empowerment of Women (2001) into action and ensuring survival, protection and development of women and children through right based approach was taken care in tenth five year plan (2002-2007). The Government of India has launched and implemented a number of schemes towards poverty alleviation and women empowerment but it was observed that women in rural areas especially from the poor families could not be benefitted. This led to the country to launch a mother programme called Swarna-Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) which was based on a group approach. Here, the rural poor especially women were organized into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to enable them to take up viable economic activities on their own on a sustained basis with the support from bank loans and government subsidy.
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households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age,
education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members,
children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the
treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of
Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance
programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression
analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance
programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested
that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and
training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income
generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of
inclusive development.
Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.
Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.
households in the state of Assam. It also discusses the socio-economic variables such as age,
education, marital status, family size, agricultural land, distribution of earning members,
children, etc. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents of the
treatment group (SHG participants) and control group (non-participants) from two districts of
Assam. A comparison between the treatment group of households participating in microfinance
programme and a control group was carried out by using t-test and by multiple regression
analysis. The findings of the study provides strong evidence of the positive effect of microfinance
programme on the income of the participating households in the study area. It can be suggested
that rural women be encouraged to participate in SHGs for their socio-economic upliftment and
training and marketing facilities be provided to the SHGs that are carrying out income
generating activities for sustainability of the groups keeping in view the long term objective of
inclusive development.
Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.
Keywords: Microfinance, SHGs, household income, rural households, Assam.