Role of Self-help Groups (SHGs) in Enhancing Incomes of Rural Women in J&K, India

Women are the most vulnerable section of our society and their agony in Jammu and Kashmir is more intensified during the last three decades due to prevailing militancy. They work round the clock but lack decision making powers in household affairs as well as in the society. The central and state government has launched several schemes for women empowerment and National Rural Livelihood Mission is one among them. Under this self-employment scheme, the rural women are organized in Self Help Groups (SHGs) and are provided funds for their upliftment. To understand the success in the performance of Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKSRLM) in terms of enhancing income of the women, a total of 80 beneficiaries selected through multi-stage sampling were interviewed by giving equal weightage to two districts of Doda and Jammu respectively. The results reflected that SHGs have played a significant role in the life of rural women in terms of enhancing income and employment. The JKSRLM is a great tool for concerted efforts to improve the economic conditions of the people, and the importance of education must not be overstated, since it influences the choices women and girls make about employment and income generation increasingly.