The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Move to sensitise SHG members to credit linkage

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Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Move to sensitise SHG members to credit linkage

Staff Reporter

CHENGAM: The Tamil Nadu Women in Agriculture (TANWA), attached to the Agriculture Department, will work with a non-governmental organisation in the Chengam panchayat union, Empowering Mahilas for Meaningful Action (EMMA), to sensitise the leaders and members of self-help groups (SHGs) attached to TANWA to SHG promotion and credit linkage with service area banks.

A. Abdul Sukkur, Chief Executive Officer, EMMA, said TANWA had formed its own SHGs in several districts across the State involving its members in agriculture and allied activities. The groups were more involved in extension and implementation of schemes introduced by the Agriculture Department.

However, TANWA was not equipped to manage the SHGs and linked them with service area banks for credit support. Members of the SHGs attached to TANWA were Paschal, Pallipattu and Chengam. There were a total of 70 SHGs here and its members were more involved in agriculture extension activity. TANWA had not trained them in SHG and credit management. Moreover, the SHGs were not linked to the service area banks for credit support. This denied economic empowerment to the members.

Mr. Sukkur said the members of the SHGs in Chengam Panchayat Union were at present more involved in implementing SRI technique used in paddy cultivation, seed treatment technique, application of biofertilizer, groundnut cultivation, floriculture, sugarcane cultivation and creating awareness of the importance of soil testing. TANWA would work with EMMA in sensitising the SHG leaders and the members about SHG promotion, credit linkage with service area banks, credit discipline and other developmental activities.

EMMA, with the support of NABARD, had trained 30 of the 70 SHGs in the Chengam Block on SHG promotion and bank linkage. Four members from each of the 30 groups had been picked up for the training. A total of 120 members had been trained so far. EMMA would be training the SHGs to maintain records. Only if the records are properly maintained the SHGs would get the credit discipline, Mr. Sukkur said.

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