NEW DELHI: Non-governmental organisations across the country have asked the States and other institutions engaged with self-help groups (SHGs) to make available the data related to achievements in poverty alleviation, empowerment and literacy. Such data should be disaggregated by caste and class categories to enable a realistic assessment, the NGOs said at the end of a two-day convention here on Friday.

The groups were of the opinion that there was no data on the number of SHGs in the country, their deposits and the loans disbursed to them or even the impact these have had in empowering women. Since it was believed that there were 7 million SHGs — including those constituted by the Government under its various self-employment schemes — the Government should set up a committee on the status of SHGs to review the existing perspectives, policies and programmes related to SHGs in order to strengthen their potential towards addressing the social, economic and political rights of women. The committee should include eminent academicians and practitioners who have experience in dealing with issues of women's empowerment, poverty and livelihood.

The State should institute a regulatory framework for the functioning of micro finance institutions to ensure that there was a limit on the extent of interest rate. They said the manner of recovery of loans should not be exploitative. Referring specifically to the Microfinance Bill slated to be tabled in Parliament, the groups opposed the provision of making the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) regulator for the fear of being misused, and instead suggested the setting up of a commission with representations from the districts also.

Also, they suggested that there should be a cap on the interest rates instead of leaving it to the market forces, as the rich were always in a position to negotiate the rates.

Micro-credit and self-help-groups is only one of the inputs and enabling conditions that is required for empowerment and poverty alleviation. The State in particular needs to invest adequate resources and to change policies in a manner that women's subordinate status and poverty are addressed, said Jaya Sharma of Nirantar. Although participation in SHGs has meant opportunities related to mobility and a legitimate space in the public realm, the overall picture is one that raises several critical concerns related to gender justice and livelihoods that the 11th Five Year Plan process needs to address, she said.

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