The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Need for social sustainability of women SHGs stressed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Need for social sustainability of women SHGs stressed

Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE: Though women self-help groups in the State have achieved economic empowerment, their social sustainability is an issue as there are limitations to growing to the level of large-scale players, N. Manimekalai, Director, Centre for Women Studies, Bharathidasan University, said here on Tuesday.

She was inaugurating a workshop on "Economic Viability and Social Sustainability of Self Help Groups in Tamil Nadu" at PSG College of Arts and Science. Some of the issues that needed to be discussed were the long-term implication of women emerging as a group, the need to change the attitude of banks towards micro-finance, the possibility of the groups growing to large-scale and can the State's responsibility be rested with NGOs.

Some of issues on their economic viability were higher cost of the products, a supply-led and not a demand-driven market, lack of localisation of materials, lack of sustained market and lack of marketing network.

The executive trustee of Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust, H.B. N. Shetty, said students should take more interest on the practical side of economics, as it would enhance their knowledge.

He said the trust was conducting training programme for Class XII teachers.

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