PUKAR: Self Help Groups in M-East ward of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai

A Study on the Challenges faced by Self-Help Groups to be successful in MEast Ward of Mumbai

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A Study on the Challenges faced by Self-Help groups to be successful in MEast Ward of Mumbai 2017-2018

Facilitator Ms.Neetu Singh Mr.Sunil Gangavane

Mentor Mrs.Meenakshi Mestry

Written By Angeline Devapriya, Imran Tiwale, Priya Mathew, Sunil Rawat, Syed Suheel

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Acknowledgement First and foremost we would like to thank the Lord Almighty who has showered his blessings on us to complete this project. We wish to express our thankfulness to PUKAR for helping us to take part in this research. We wish to express our sincere thanks to Ms. Neetu Singh and Mr.Sunil Gangavane, our guides for their meticulous guidance and encouragement for making this research a successful one. We thank everyone at PUKAR for their support and encouragement. It is our bound duty to thank PUKAR and our supporting members at PUKAR without whom this project would have been a distant reality.

We would like to thank Mr. Salim Patel who works at M East Ward office as the Social Development officer to give us information about self-help groups.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to all the women from various self-help groups who took part in this research and helped us in tracing their stories of joining the self-help groups and various motivating factors to be part of the self-help group.

We would also like to extend our thanks to our friends in other teams who have helped us, motivated us and supported us throughout this research. Last but not the least we thank each and every one of them who had supported and assisted us in making this project a reality.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgement

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Rationale and Significance of the study Historical background of groups:

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An Introduction about M -east ward

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Formation of Self-help Groups:

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Schemes and facilities provided by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Ngoâ€&#x;s.

Intervention of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai- MCGM

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Research Methodologies

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Group process

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Review of Literature

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The Concept of Empowerment of Women through Self-help groups v/s The Reality

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Research Findings

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Conclusion

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Recommendations

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Annexure

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Success story of Jijamata Mahila Bachat Ghat- A SHG entrepreneur

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Consent Letter

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Interview Schedule

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Focus group discussion

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Rationale and Significance of the study Self-help Groups in India are an upcoming micro financing unit. Especially, countries like India, where unemployment is rampant and also a cause of concern; SHGsâ€&#x; can provide a structure and a space for the men and women alike to start their own businesses and in the process, not only uplift themselves and their immediate family, but also the community of which they are a part.

The expectations of the SHGs have been focused mainly on improving the financial strength of the poor women by providing an easy access to savings and credit besides, enhancement of their economic means of livelihood. Thus, it is important to know the impact of microfinance schemes in the economic development of SHGs. It is equally important to examine the impact of microfinance schemes in the social development of SHGs. The present study is significant in helping us to understand the nature of the obstacles that these SHGs face and to identify measures for removing the obstacles in the development of these SHGs. It is also important to study the utilization of microfinance and its relationship with the living standards of members of SHGs. We want to work with Self-help Groups in the M-ward of Mumbai where the Human Development Index is very low, compared to the other wards of Mumbai City.

Mentioned below is the chart which shows difference between the city of Mumbai and the M/East ward which is a part of MumbaiPARAMETERS

MUMBAI CITY

M/EAST WARD

Literacy Rate

89.21%

66%

Unemployment Rate

17.8%

51.87%

Median Income

Rs 20,000

Rs 8,000

(Source: DNA, India. 30th April, 2015)

In the above table it can be seen that there are 3 parameters according to which the development rate in Mumbai city and M-East ward is compared. Namely – Literacy rate, Unemployment rate and Median income. The literacy rate in Mumbai city is 89.21% whereas in M-east ward it is just 66% . With a low literacy rate, this also shows that majority of people lack the educational qualifications for white collar jobs. The unemployment rate in Mumbai city is 17.8% whereas it is as high as 51.87% in M east ward. This shows that majority of the people are unemployed and this could be related to the literacy level in the area. The median income in Mumbai city is Rs.20,000 and in M East ward it is only Rs.8,000 . In a city like Mumbai where prices are rising every day, it is difficult to support a family, pay the rent, and pay for utilities and also save money.

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As a team we decided to do our research on Self-help Groups who do small businesses to understand their problems and the reasons due to which they are not able to expand their business. We believe that if we want to up bring the people who are backward, we need to understand their issues and help them strengthen their finances through their business.

Then only they can give better education, health facility, social status and economic freedom to their family members and the rest of the community.

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Historical background of groups: The concept of Gramin bank was developed in Bangladesh in the year 1976 and this lead to the development of Micro finance. Micro finance system basically aims to help people to set up their own business, provide loans to self-help groups and support small entrepreneurial ventures.

The model was developed in the year 1976 by Mr. Muhammed Yunus but it was only in the year 1983 that it was launched as an independent bank. Mr. Yunus used to work as a professor in the United States of America. After the famine in Bangladesh in 1974, he was deeply moved and wanted to help the people. But he realized that he cannot do it alone and would need financial help for it.

In his neighboring village he saw that women used to weave and make baskets but were running in debt. He got to know that they used to take money from the moneylenders who used to charge exorbitant interest rates. Since these women had no other option to get loans other than the moneylenders, they were exploited. Mr. Yunus tried to get in touch with banks in the neighborhood but all of them denied to give loans to these women has they had no credibility to return the money. He gave these women $27 each to cover their expenses and sell their baskets. Soon enough all of these women returned the money back to him because they did not want to go back to the moneylenders. This was his inspiration to create the Gramin bank.

The main difference between a Gramin bank and Standard bank is that the Standard banks do not provide loans to the old, poor, young and the people they believe do not have the credibility to repay the loans. Gramin bank therefore set up a model to provide for those left out by the standard institutions. The concept of micro credit is such that it provides a small long term loan on easy terms. This makes the bank more accessible to the general public and help people to develop their own businesses. Over 95% of the loans went to women and the repayment percent was 95%. This model showed that the general belief of the Standard banks “Poor people are not credit worthy� is wrong.

In todayâ€&#x;s world, Gramin banks have been set up all over the world, even in developed nations like the U.S.A and they continue to help the people to fulfill their dreams.

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An Introduction about M -east ward The M-East ward, located on the north-eastern edge of Mumbai, is quite literally the zone the municipality forgot. It covers Chembur (E), Deonar, Anushakti Nagar, Govandi, Trombay and Mankhurd. It has among the highest slum populations in the city, with over 72.5% of its population living in slums. It was ranked the lowest in human development among the city's 24 wards in the Mumbai Human Development Report 2009.

The residents of this area are mostly migrants coming to Mumbai city in search for job opportunities. Most of them work as skilled laborers in the nearby areas. As a majority of its residents live in slums which have open sewer lines, no proper waste disposal system and the biggest threat to the residents is the Deonar dumping ground. It is a huge dumping ground in which the waste of Mumbai city is dumped every day. Over flowing with waste, many people find their livelihood in picking scraps and selling it to nearby vendors. Even children as young as 12 sometimes leave school to earn extra income to support their families. As the waste is not segregated, it is a health risk for children as well as adults who do not wear the safety gear while going into the dumping ground. Residents have often reported of fire in the dumping ground. This has caused respiratory illnesses to the people living nearby because of the toxic fumes.

Govandi has become synonymous with ghettoism and crime for a large number of Mumbaikars. ( Source: Hindustan Times February 3rd,2018) Riddled with high crime rates, the city dwellers fail to see the plight of the people living in these communities. In the slum settlements deemed illegal by the government, water has to be bought from outside resources. This way the residents spend half their income in buying water which is a basic necessity.

As Govandi is seen as a „Ghetto‟ by the outsiders, it becomes very difficult for the residents to go and apply for jobs, bank loans etc. It is often reported that in interviews when the interviewer gets to know that the respondent is from Govandi, it builds a certain perception about the person and reduces the chances to get a good job. Same with banks, a lot of Standard banks have areas „black listed‟ and Govandi is one of them. This reduces the chances of the people to access loans for setting up a business, education or any personal reason.

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Formation of Self-help Groups: In India, Self-Help Groups have been seen as an exclusive group started primarily to empower women in rural and suburban areas, make them economically independent and help them contribute to the socio-economic development of the nation. The main reason for bringing in this concept was to set up a habit of saving money among the women. Out of the monthly earnings, the women kept aside a certain amount for savings purposes.

Slowly this model has evolved and has become a livelihood medium for many women in urban and rural India. The strength of the groups can be from 10 to 20 members. Smaller groups are preferred as this makes it easier for the women to make a place for themselves.

When applying for loans, the banks ask for financial documents to show that a person is capable of repaying the loan in a certain time. When poor people go to apply a loan, it‟s their inability to be able to pay which doesn‟t make them eligible for a loan. With a system like a Self-help Group, its an informal loan system. The money collected is used for the benefit of all the members as and when it is needed. This model has helped many individuals to get loans and stay away from private moneylenders who charge exorbitant interest rates. Following are the process of formation and rules and regulations to run SHGs.

A. Objectives of the Self-help Group: The SHGs comprise very poor people who do not have access to formal financial institutions. They act as the forum for the members to provide space and support to each other. It also enables the members to learn to cooperate and work in a group environment.

The SHGs provide savings mechanism, which suits the needs of the members. It also provides a cost effective delivery mechanism for small credit to its members. The SHGs significantly contribute to the empowerment of poor. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

To sensitize people of target area for the need of SHG and its relevance in their empowerment process.

To enhance the confidence and capabilities of members.

To develop collective decision making among members.

To inculcate the savings and banking habits among members.

To secure them from financial, technical and moral strengths.

To enable availing of loan for productive purposes.

To gain economic prosperity through loan/credit.

To gain from collective wisdom in organizing and managing their own finance and distributing the benefits among themselves.

To sensitize women of target area for the need of SHG and its relevance in their empowerment.

To create group feeling among women.

It acts as the forum for members to provide space and support to each other.

B. Size of the SHG 9

● ●

C. ●

●

D. ●

● ●

E. ● ● ●

The ideal size of an SHG is 10 to 20 members. In a bigger group, members cannot actively participate.

The group need not be registered. If the group is registered under the BMC or other organizations, they are able to apply for loans and get skills training.

Membership The group normally consists of either only men or of only women. Mixed groups are generally not preferred. Women‟s groups are generally found to perform better. It is seen that women make sure that they use the money received judiciously for the welfare of their family.

Members should have the same social and financial background. This makes it easier for the members to interact freely with each other. If members are both from rich as well as poor class, the poor may hardly get an opportunity to express themselves and may feel inferior.

Meetings The group should meet regularly. Ideally, the meetings should be weekly or at least monthly. They become closer, if they meet regularly. This helps them to understand each other‟s difficulties better.

Compulsory attendance: Full attendance in all the group meetings will make it easy for the SHG to stabilize and start working to the satisfaction of all.

Membership register, minutes register etc., are to be kept up to date by the group by making the entries regularly. This helps to know about the SHG easily. It also helps to build trust among the SHG members.)

Keeping of Accounts by the SHG Simple and clear books for all transactions to be maintained.

All registers and account books should be written during the course of the meeting.

This creates confidence in the minds of members who are unable to read and write.

Books to be kept by an SHG o Minutes Book: The proceedings of meetings, the rules of the group, names of the members etc. are recorded in this book. o Savings and Loan Register: Shows the savings of members separately and of the group as a whole. Details of individual loans, repayments, interest collected, balance, etc. are entered here. o Weekly /Fortnightly/Monthly Register: Summary of receipts and payments, updated in every meeting. o Members’ Passbooks: Individual members‟ pass books in which individual‟s savings and loan balance outstanding is regularly entered. This encourages regular savings.

F. Major Functions of an SHG ● Savings and Thrift: o All SHG members regularly save a small amount. The amount may be small, but savings have to be a regular and continuous habit with all the members.

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o

SHG members take a step towards self-dependence when they start small savings. They learn financial discipline through savings and internal lending.

This is useful when they have to keep money aside for bank loans. ● Internal lending: o The SHG should use the savings amount for giving loans to members. o The purpose, amount, rate of interest, schedule of repayment etc., are to be decided by the group itself. o Proper accounts to be kept by the SHG. ● Discussing problems: In every meeting, the SHG should be encouraged to discuss and try to find solutions to the problems faced by the members of the group.

Individually, the poor people are weak and lack resources to solve their problems.

When the group tries to help its members, it becomes easier for them to face the difficulties and come up with solutions. This helps the members to bond with each other and come closer as a group. ● Taking bank loan: The SHG takes loan from the bank and gives it as loan to its members. This helps in the business and also as a support to the member‟s families.

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Schemes and facilities provided by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Ngoâ€&#x;s.

Self-help groups are small informal groups formed to generate income and employment for the economically backward class of society. These groups are backed up by the government and are given various subsidies and loans to run their production system.

The women not only form the SHGs but they also have a social purpose with their ideas and they are participating in the problem solving process of the society. If any SHG member faced a family problem then these women came together to have a talk with the family members and at the end they solve the problem faced by the women due to her family. The SHGs have solved many family problems of their group members. These women have one and only major objective which is to attain economic empowerment and to bring social change in the society they live in. The women are also supporting and motivating their children to take higher education in their own style.

Although all the women being a mother to 2 or 3 children they still make efforts to attend the SHG meetings regularly and guides their group members for keeping the SHG strong and to keep it moving forward. The women are multi-tasking and they are moving forward day by day. They intend to convince the society that women can also work like men. In these process government and non-government organizations motivate these women in a different ways such as provide skill based trainings, subsidies, direction to start their own small business etc. Following are the schemes, training are provided by BMC and NGOs: 1) Intervention of NGO’s a. Apnalaya Training Provided by Apnalaya Apnalaya has worked for over 40 years at the grass root level in slum settlements in Mumbai. They have worked with all age groups on a very wide range of issues, and with a variety of different stakeholders.

Training is given to these women in the field of stitching, candle making, bag making and more. As most of these women were previous homemakers, they are given these trainings so that they can work from home too and support their families.

b. Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) nodal agency for self-help group MAVIM is implementing developmental programs in all 34 districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai sub urban areas. The headquarters of MAVIM is based at Mumbai and MAVIM has offices at every district to implement developmental schemes in rural areas.

The District Coordinating officer (DCO) is the executive head of district office and assisted

by Assistant District Coordinating officer, Account officer, Assistant Monitoring Officer, Clerks in addition to around 35-40 i.

Schemes of Mavim:

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Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) had received sanctioning to implement the Skill based training to the women members from Women and Child Development Department as Government Resolution.

Under this Skill Training Programme the trades are as Tailoring, Beauty Parlor, Artificial Jewelry, File and folder making, Fashion Designing, Bag Making, Catering, Computer, Dairy, Poultry, Spices cultivation and processing, Vegetable cultivation and Marketing, food processing, Floriculture, Mobile repairing, Retail Management, House Keeping, turmeric processing and marketing, Chili Powder processing and marketing, NTFP processing and marketing, etc. ii. Training Provided by Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) for self-help group Capacity Building Training: These trainings provide information, knowledge to women which help them to understand their own situation and how to face the situation. This training also helps to change their attitude. MAVIM organize these trainings on different level in different stages of the life cycles of self-help groups. ●

SHG Concept Training – At the beginning of group formation MAVIM Sahayoginies conduct SHG concept training for all the SHG members. These trainings help women to understand importance of SHG, function of SHG, their role in SHG.

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Book Keeping / Accounts Training – Saving is one of the important activities of the Self-help Groups which bring women together initially. The proper record of savings and internal lending help to develop trust among each other. Account training helps women to know how to keep account records properly.

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Leadership Development training – Leaders plays an important role in group development. Each group has three leaders, their responsibility to lead the group.

Leaders need to understand group dynamic, development stages and role of leader.

Leadership training provide all the inputs required to a good leader.

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Gender Sensitization Training – In the process of women empowerment, gender sensitization training plays an important role by making women aware about their own status and importance.

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Functional Literacy – This training help women to understand the functions of different institutions and organizations which play important role in their day to day life such as bank, post office, etc.

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Monitoring and Evaluation – Self-help Groups develop through various stages.

Each stage is very important for development of SHG. These trainings make SHG women understand and evaluate their group at different stages.

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Intervention of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai- MCGM The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the body responsible for providing all essential urban services in Mumbai as well as for the implementation of government schemes for the benefit of the general public.The Swarna Jayanti Shari Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY) of the central government and the Gender Budget of the MCGM, are both schemes implemented by MCGM to economically empower the disadvantaged women in Mumbai.The MCGM works in the community to mobilize women from low -income families and encourages them come together rand form self - help groups (SHGs) to improve their socio -economic conditions by accessing these schemes. With the help of these schemes, SHGs are linked to banks where they can get facilities like credit and savings.

These groups are also given subsidies for their loans along with training in more than 65 different trades so that they can start their own small scale enterprises and become socio economically independent and empowered.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana: The target of the urban component of the DAY is to train 5 lakh urban poor each year in City Livelihood Centers set up by the government.

The government will shoulder a cost of about INR 15,000 (INR 18,000 in the north eastern states and Jammu & Kashmir) per person in these training programs. A major component of this training will be imparting market oriented skills. The formation of Self-help Groups (SHG) will go to create a supportive environment for the trained members. Each group shall be given an initial sum of INR 10,000 to start with. Apart from this INR 50.000 assistance shall be provided to registered federations on an area level.

Subsidy To Urban Poor An interest subsidy of 5% - 7% for setting up individual micro-enterprises with a loan of up to 2 lakh and for group enterprises with a loan limit of up to Rs.10 lakhs.

Imparting skills to the urban poor is not adequate without creation of employment opportunities. The government also has launched an interest subsidy for the trained youth to set up their own enterprises. An interest subsidy of 5 percent on loan (of up to INR 2 lakh) is available for those interested in setting up individual enterprises while an interest subsidy of 7 percent is available on a loan (of up to INR 10 lakh) for group enterprises.

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Research Methodologies Topic- Self-help groups and their challenges to become successful entrepreneurs in M-East ward, Mumbai.

Objectives of the study● To understand the concept of social entrepreneurship with relation to the self-help groups. ● To understand the processes, mechanism, problems and success stories of the SHGs‟ in M-East Ward. ● To understand the difference between SHGs‟ that have been successful and the ones that hasn‟t been able to make the mark.

Sample selection- Sample selection is the process of choosing individuals or groups to be a part of the research process. The groups were chosen on the basis of Non-Probability, to be more accurate Convenience sampling technique was used to choose respondents. As the name suggest the groups are chosen on the basis of availability and accessibility. Various self-help groups which were based in M-East ward, namely Chembur, Govandi and Mankhurd were contacted by the researchers and approached for interviews and focus group discussion. The groups approached by us manufactured various things like cloth bags, women‟s clothing, puppets, food items and decorative articles like lanterns, etc.

Sample size – Sample size measures the number of individual samples measured or observations used in a survey or experiment. 3o interviews were conducted and 1 focus group discussions was conducted with the selected groups.

Ethical Consideration – Ethics are the norms or standards set by the researchers to define what is acceptable and unacceptable during the research process. While conducting the interviews various ethical considerations were followed. Before the interview, the respondents were approached and introduced to the interviewers. The respondents were given a consent letter which had details about the study, its purpose and goals. It also had other details such as- the interview will be conducted only if the respondent wishes so and if the respondent wishes to not answer a particular question or leave the process midway they are free to do so. The consent letter also stated that the identity of the respondent won‟t be revealed.

Tools for data collection –This is defined as to which methods were used by the researchers to collect data. A questionnaire consisting of 30 questions was used to administer interviews with 30 respondents. A semi structured questionnaire was prepared for the focus group discussion.

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Limitations faced● While choosing Convenience sampling as the method and choosing a sample size of 30, the researchers are aware that the groups contacted will not be able to define the problems faced by all the Self-Help Groups collectively. ● Due to time restrictions only one Focus group Discussion was conducted. ● The interviews were conducted only with groups who were registered with BMC and were successful in following a business model.

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Group process Our journey with Pukar started in the Month of July with 2 Residential Camps. The Camp was at YUVA, Kharghar. It was the first time we were meeting all the other fellows who are going to be with us on this journey. The residential camps helped us to think outside the box and to expose us to different perspectives and realities of life like Equality & Equity, Power Walk, and Reservation on basis of Caste and others. These topics let us connect with reality of life and increasing our horizon of thinking.

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After the Residential Camps, our regular workshops had begun. The workshops were conducted at St.Pius Centre in Goregaon and also at the Pukar office. The workshops were about the all the components about research so we could understand how to go about it.

Workshops were conducted on Research Methodology, Literature Review, Research Design and Tools for Data Collection. These workshops were very informative for us as soon we had to work on our Research Proposal.

In the beginning we had a large group consisting of 9 members. Slowly few members started to leave because there were disagreements about the topic and group functioning.

In the end only 5 members were left. During this time we used to have meetings with our mentor to discuss about our topic and develop various aspects of it before incorporating it in our Proposal. After our proposal was approved and tools were created, we had to start with Data collection.

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As a few months had passed now, we realized that there were multiple hurdles which we had to face to successfully finish our report. As some of our members are students and some work at organizations, it was difficult to have proper weekly meetings. Finding respondents were difficult for us as none of us belonged to M east ward therefore it took us time to create contacts and meet groups

Constantly working together, we realized that we can use each otherâ€&#x;s strength to finish our project effectively. As some members had experience of working with self-help groups, they could guide the other members. In this way we could analyze the data well by the end of the journey. To make contacts with groups, we had met some of them at BMC mela at Tilak Nagar. From there we took their contact number to schedule meetings for interviews 18

and Focus group discussions. The collected data was transcribed to make it more appropriate for the analysis process. Soon we reached the end of our journey by making our final report with our findings from the field

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Review of Literature

Self-help Groups (SHGs) are considered as one of the most significant contributors for the empowerment of women. SHGs help in empowerment of women both socially and economically. The empowerment of women through SHGs benefits not only the individual woman, but also the family and community as a whole through collective action for development.

A self-help group is defined as a "self-governed, peer controlled information group of people with similar socio-economic and having a desire to collectively perform common purpose." It focuses on the weaker sections particularly women for their social defense.

SHG‟s have the potential in creating awareness on day-to-day affairs, promoting savings habit, developing self and community assets, increasing the income level, increasing the social power etc.

The present study is highly significant to find out the role of micro finance through SHG and how crucial a role it plays in the socio-economic development of women and also what is its implication.

The role of SHG in empowering women in the state of Maharashtra is reviewed by Madheswaran and Dharmadhikary (2001). The most part of the study supported the theory of peer monitoring system. The urgent need for the people to understand and solve their problem on their own is emphasized in the report submitted by the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) (2003). The study concluded that the SHG members had better health care, better education, and elimination of child labour, better courage and confidence. A detailed report regarding income generation, human development, environmental protection and natural resources management through SHG is presented by the Krishnaiah (2003). He concluded that the success of SHG is dependent on the identification of proper products for manufacturing, use of appropriate technology and creating necessary marketing channels.

Having said this, the SHGs still have a long way to go as the major link missing in their development, is the support required from the Government.

The Self-help Group in India has open new opportunity for women‟s empowerment through financial intermediation. Nowadays the women‟s group has started their own journey towards development. The women‟s groups have implemented new strategies and ideas in the entrepreneurial root. There are so many women who come together and form their Self-help Group and they have started their own journey and they are in the stream where entrepreneurship is taking place.

Mostly in the Self-help Group women come from economically poor families but they have the greatest ideas and techniques to develop entrepreneurship and to give economic support to their family. The women equally participate in running their household and hence equal participation of both men and women in the household chores in ensured.

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In M-east ward, Mumbai there are lots of Self-help Group which have moved towards having strong entrepreneurial roots. With their wonderful ideas they are successfully moving forward in building networks. They show mastery in the fields of jewelry making, manufacturing bags, clothes, puppets, foods items and running their own Kirana shops, etc. The women in the Self-help Group also participate in social programs like Haldi Kumkum, Republic Day and Independence Day. Further the women of SHGs have started manufacturing industry in Chembur where they make school bags and different types of puppets according to theme change and development the both are related terms. The very fact that the women have begun to approach the groups for help is in itself an indication of success. Now women come to the industry and innovate their designs made new products. They have started their own entrepreneurial journey.

Problems faced by women working in self-help groups Women who join the self-help groups have common motive like earning money, getting employment, supporting their families and economically uplift their families. These women indulge in various production units like agriculture, running a mess, candle making, tailoring, making incense sticks and soaps, making articles out of cane, making edibles like pickles, papad and dry snacks, selling of vegetables and fish. These are some of the sectors in which these groups work.

While working in these groups the women face a lot of problems. Some of them are – i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

Lack of common goals- when the goals and aims of the members lack homogeneity, the drive to achieve these goals won‟t be present. Groups often fall out because of lack of coordination and lack of involvement of some members.

Lack of knowledge – Many women who join these groups have not finished school and are hesitant to go forward and work with systems like banks, government offices, etc. Because of this they stay behind and lack initiative.

Relations among members – There are instances where members develop hatred and jealousy towards another member. This brings about disharmony in the group and affects the proper functioning of the group.

Poor marketing skills – The self-help groups are not able to reach out to a bigger market than their neighboring areas as they don‟t have the facility to give publicity to their work. Most of their business runs due to their familiarity in the community and word of mouth. Advertising is expensive and they lack funds. Due to this they are stuck in a specific geographical area. Very few groups manage to find a solution for this.

Heavy competition in the market – With globalization, the setting up of small scale stores have increased. Self-help groups lack the facility to produce goods in bulk, which the companies and manufacturers are able to do very easily. Manufacturers gain profits in their bulk production and are hence capable to sell their goods at a lesser price. The self-help groups are unable to do this as they to manage their costs, otherwise they will incur loss.

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vi.

vii.

Packaging and quality of products- Products which are made by hand do have chances of having difference in quality of their pieces which can affect the opinion of the consumer about the product.

Pressure of running household- Women need to finish their household work and then go to work which makes it very hectic for some. Due to family pressure, they sometimes end up leaving the group

According to a study done by Dr. M.Kasthuri, it is clearly seen that majority of the women in the self-help groups were in their prime age. Most of these women belonged to the backward castes of the society. Majority of these women havenâ€&#x;t completed their higher education. This study was spread between all there major religions of the nation. The study also stated that the women had clear vision of their work and were able to discuss and make decisions of their work. These women who had only primary, high school and higher secondary school got empowered and were in a position of going to the banks and make transactions and at the same time they were also able to get loans. These women have also incurred the habit of repaying the loans on time. The study also revealed that the group is cohesive and all the decisions related to the group are taken with the consent of all the group members. It was also found that the groups showed solidarity.

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Data Analysis This chapter represents the data collected by the respondents in the form of tables. The findings give information about the demographic profile, about the self-help group and the member’s involvement in it, savings of the respondent and understanding between the respondents family about the work.

Demographic Profile of the respondent 1. Age of the respondents

Age defines the number of years the respondent has lived; age is defined as an explanation of an individual's development based on genetic, psychological age, which is defined as an individual description. The age also helps us to understand the growth of the individual in all aspects of life including experience.

Age of the Percentage respondents 25-30

7.4%

31-35

18.5%

36-40

25.9%

41-45

29.6%

46-50

14.8%

51-55

0

56-60

3.7%

According to the table above – 2 respondents are between the age of 25 to 30, 5 respondents are between the age of 31 to 35, 8 respondents are between the age 36 to 40, 4 respondents are between the age of 46 to 50 and 1 respondent is between the age of 56-60.

Majority of the respondents which cover 10 of the total respondents who are working in the self-help groups are between 41 to 45 years of age.

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As seen in the table, a majority of the women belong from the age group of 40 years to 50 years. At this age, usually the children are grown up and can take care of themselves and the home too, if the mother canâ€&#x;t in certain circumstances. There are very few women who are in their late twenties as most of them are newly married and taking care of young children. Similarly, after the age of 50 the number of respondents decreased. It could be due to health complications or retirement of their spouses which will need them to stay at home for their support

2.Area of residence Residence means living in a particular locality. The locality of the respondents is also necessary in this study to get a clear idea and understanding about the living conditions of the respondents. The residence clearly suggests the locality of their house and how far they are willing to travel for work, etc.

Area of Residence

Percentage

Chembur

44.5%

Mankhurd

48.1%

Govandi

7.4%

According to the table above – 15 respondents reside in Chembur, 13 respondents reside in Mankhurd and 2 Respondents reside in Govandi. All the respondents are from Zone 5 of the city. Chembur, Mankhurd and Govandi are covered under the M Ward of the city. Hence, this study is area specific as it focuses only on respondents from a particular ward of the Mumbai city.

The respondents in this study live in M East ward. It is one of the most underdeveloped wards of Mumbai which has a high migrant population. It lies on the outskirts of Mumbai and more than 70% of its residents live in slums.

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3. Native place of the respondents The term native place of the respondents refers to the town or city they have originated from. This aspect is very important in this study in order to identify the number of respondents who have migrated to the state from other parts of the country. This clearly suggests the number of respondents who have migrated for the purpose of employment.

Native place of the Percentage respondents Maharashtra

70.4%

Gujarat

7.4%

Uttar Pradesh

18.5%

Assam

3.7%

According to the table above- 22 of the respondents belong from Maharashtra, 2 respondents belong from Gujarat, 5 respondents belong from Uttar Pradesh and 1 respondent belongs from Assam. The findings of the table suggests that majority of the respondents which covers 70.4% of the total respondents of this study are natives of Maharashtra while there are around 18.5% respondents from Uttar Pradesh, 7.4% respondents from Gujarat and 3.7% respondents from Assam.

Majority of women in the study are from Maharashtra and most groups have features like homogeneity in the background of their members like region, religion, etc. It is noticed that M east ward has a high concentration of Muslim residents but very few of them were part of the self-help groups.

4. Educational qualification of the respondents The educational qualification of the respondents refers to the certificates, diplomas and degrees received by the individual in a particular academic field. This also gives the researchers an idea about the education level of the respondents and their employment opportunities. This data which concerns the education of the respondent helps the researchers to understand the type of products they are manufacturing in their groups and the power of decision making and risk-taking factor.

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Educational Percentage qualification of the respondents Never went to school 25.9% Studied till 5th

18.5%

Dropout before 10th

18.5%

Passed 10th

22.2%

Passed 12th

7.4%

Graduated college

from 7.4%

According to the table above- 7 respondents never went to school, 6 respondents have studied till 5th standard, 6 respondents have dropped out of school before 10 th standard, 6 respondents have passed 10th standard, 3 respondents have passed 12th standard and 2 respondents have graduated from a college with an undergraduate degree.

Majority of the respondents never went to school. Hence, when they wanted to look for a decent job opportunity they chose to be part of self-help groups.

2 respondents have a undergraduate degree and are a part of the self-help groups.

When asked, these women said that although they have a degree, it is from a vernacular medium college. When looking for a job in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, working knowledge of English is a must. As these women lack the ability to fluently talk or write English, this reduces their job opportunities.

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Details about the Self-help Group and the respondents Involvement 5. Medium through which the respondents got to know about self-help groups

The medium through which the respondents got to know about the self-help groups refers to the various sources from where they got to know about the concept of self-help groups.

Source of information Percentage Through neighbors

the 29.6%

Through the BMC 48.1% workers Through a 22.2% Nongovernmental organization

According to the table above – 8respondents got information about self-help groups from their neighbors or people residing in nearby area, 16 respondents got information about self-help groups through a non-governmental organization. Majority of the respondents got to know about the self-help groups only through the BMC workers. So, this data clearly shows that the BMC workers stand in support and work to help the people living in their community to have a better living.

Majority of women said that they got to know about self-help groups from BMC workers. 48% of the women said that BMC workers had come to their community and had small meetings to spread the word among people. This also leads to speculation that probably BMC workers and their relatives spread information among the people known to them to avail services with ease and keep it among the group. BMC workers are given a specific number of people to outreach to, so with the help of their personal contacts in the community they influence people to form groups and work in it.

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6. Motivation to join the self-help group

The motivation to join self-help groups refers to the various factors responsible for making the women to join the self-help groups. The three major reasons for women to join self-help groups are to earn money in order to support their family, for self-development and for improving themselves.

Reason to join the Percentage group To earn money and 74.1% support their family For self-development For improvement

11.1%

self- 14.8%

According to the table above – 22 members have joined the self-help group to earn money and support their family, 4 members have joined to develop their personality and 4 members have joined to bring improvement in self. According to the responses of our majority respondents which cover a total of around 74.1% of the total number of respondents, it is found that the major reason for the women to join self-help groups in order to support their family economically.

More than 70% of the women have joined the self-help group so that is acts as a source of income for their family. With 25% of the women never attending school and a collective 36% dropping out before the tenth standard, the concept of self-help group seems like a good idea for women who do not have skills or work experience in other sectors.

7. Profession in which the respondent was involved before being a part of a self-help group

The term profession in which the women were involved before joining the self-help group refers to the various jobs that these women were involved in before coming to the 28

self-help group. These jobs include working in an NGO, working as domestic workers, running a private business, working from home and we also have a section of women who are home makers.

Profession

Percentage

Worked in an NGO

7.4%

Work from home

14.8%

Worked as a domestic 3.7% help Worked at a private 11.1% business Home makers

63%

According to the table above – 2 of the respondents used to work in an NGO before joining the self-help group, 4 respondents worked from home like making hair clips, 1 respondent worked as a domestic help, 3 respondents worked at private businesses and 20 respondents were homemakers. Majority of the women which is around 63% are home makers and hence as a part-time in order to keep themselves occupied and economically supportive to their families women have entered the self-help groups.

63% of women were home makers before joining the self-help groups. Others worked as domestic maids, worked from home and made articles like hair pins and earrings, worked in NGOâ€&#x;S and private business. All of these women are now employed with selfhelp groups but will always be a home maker too. It is an unsaid fact that no matter what profession a woman chooses, taking care of their home will always be a womens work.

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8. Changes in the respondents behavior after joining the self-help group

The changes in the behavior of the respondents after joining the self-help groups refers to two major changes which includes the feeling of being empowered and the hike in their level of confidence.

Improvement/change in life

Percentage

Gained confidence

37%

Feel empowered

63%

According to the table above – 13 respondents felt that they gained confidence after being a member of this group and 17 members feel economically empowered. These women have grown very positively. Majority of the respondents feel empowered after becoming a part of the self-help groups. This empowerment is mainly because of the economic gain that they experiencing through the self-help groups.

The women said that they feel confident after being a part of the self-help groups. Being a part of these groups, they have made products, interacted with clients and even visited various stalls and festivals to sell their products. These things made the women feel confident.

Being a earning member in the house, they contribute in running the house and also have a choice in using the finances now.

Some women also said that coming to work they feel happy as this lets them take their mind off their work and they enjoy the company of their coworkers.

9. Expectations of the respondent when joining the self-help group

Women who are part of these self-help groups joined the groups with major expectations like becoming a leader in their community, to be a resource for providing employment to themselves and to other women in their locality and to act as a source of income for the family so that the family can be economically strong in a better way.

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Expectations respondent

of

the Percentage

To become a leader in 7.4% the community To provide 74.1% employment for others and self To act as a source of 18.5% income

According to the table above – 2 respondents want to be successful enough to become leaders in the community, 22 respondents want to get and provide employment and 6 respondents expect the SHG to act as a source of income. Majority of the respondents (74.1% of the total respondents) wanted to provide employment opportunities for themselves and other women in their community. Only 7.4% of the women aspired to become a leader in the community they live in. This table clearly suggests that the women have started being a part of the self-help group with the expectation on being employed and being able to create employment opportunities for other women living in their community.

In the early part of the interview the women stated that they have joined the self-help group to earn for themselves and their family. But many women also state that they wish to provide employment to themselves and their coworkers. This comes out to be an interesting statement as it could have multiple feelings behind it. All the women come from similar economic background so they might feel getting employed would help another family too.

Maybe the members motivate others to join as there are certain rules regarding self-help groups like there should be a minimum of ten members.

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10. Duration of membership of the self-help group

These women who are part of the self-help groups continue to be members of the same group even after many years. The table shows the number of years these women have been part of the self-help groups and have contributed to their development and also to the development of the society at the macro level.

Membership of group ( In years)

the Percentage

1-3 years

37%

4-6 years

37%

7-9 years

7.4%

10-12 years

18.5%

According to the table above- 10 respondents have been member of the self-help group from 1 to 3 years duration, 10 respondents have been a member of the self-help group for a period of 4 to 6 years, 3 respondents have been a members of the self-help group for a period of 7 to 9 years and 7 respondents have been a member of the self-help group for a period of 10 to 12 years. Majority of the women are members of the self-help groups only for a period of around one to six years. Only 5 women which is 18.5% of the total respondents have been part of the self-help groups for a greater period of time which is around 10 to 12 years.

A majority of women are part of the self-help group for a period of 1 to 6 years. It could be due to various factors like shutting down of the group, ego clashes among members, change of interest of members and moving to a new place.

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11. The number of members in the Self-help group

The number of members in a self-help group varies from a minimum of 7 members to a maximum of 15 members.

Number of members Percentage in the group 7 members

11.1%

10 members

25.9%

11 members

37%

13 members

14.8%

15 members

11.1%

According to the table above- Three groups have 7 members, ten groups have 10 members, ten groups have 11 members, four groups have 13 members and three groups have 15 members. Majority of the groups which is around 37% of the total respondents consists of 11 members in their group. It is also found that only a meager quantity of respondents which is around 11.1% of the total respondents are part of seven member groups and 15 member groups respectively.

62% of the groups have 10 to 11 members. If there is a larger group, the money will be divided in more parts, there are more chances of conflict among members and the sustainability of the group is questioned.

When there is a larger group, there are more chances of conflict among the members as there will be many different opinions on one situation. Most conflicts are resolved, but if they are left unresolved it can cause damage to the unity of the group which will ultimately result in breaking of the group.

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12. Conflict solving methods used by the groups

Conflicts are a major part of group dynamics and it can be found in every other group.

Conflicts need to be resolved in order to have a smooth functioning of the group and among the members of the group. It is found through this research that group meetings are conducted to resolve any conflict among the members of the group. Some of the respondents have stated that there hasn‟t been any major conflict in their group that needed to be resolved.

Conflict techniques

solving Percentage

Group meetings are 59.3% conducted to come to a consensus No major conflict yet

40.7%

According to the table above- 16 respondents said that conflict is solved in the group by having a meeting and coming to a consensus and 15 respondents said that there haven‟t been any major conflicts to take such steps. Majority of the respondents which cover around 59.3% of the total respondents conveyed that the conflicts within the group are solved through conducting group meetings and everyone‟s opinion is heard during the group meeting. 11 respondents stated that there hasn‟t been any major conflict within the members of the group and the group has been working in harmony without any problem.

60% of respondents stated that if there are conflicts, they are resolved by having a meeting and discussing the issues. 40% of the respondents said that they have not had any conflicts yet. As we were new to the member‟s maybe they were not sure if they should share about the conflicts happening in the group and in certain interviews, the leader of the group is present in the same room. Speaking out about conflicts in a situation like this could put the respondent in a risky situation.

13. Numbers of hours put in by members per day The numbers of hours that the women put in while working in the self-help group matters a lot as these women take care of their household and also come out of their homes to support their families economically. These women cannot shed their household 34

responsibilities in order to be part of the self-help groups. Hence, these women try to balance between their household responsibilities and the work in the self-help group.

No. of hours

Percentage

2 hours per day

37%

4 hours per day

22.2%

7 hours per day

3.7%

8 hours per day

22.2%

According to the order 14.8% received

According to the table above – 10 members put in two hours for their work per day, 6 members put in four hours for their work per day, 1 respondent puts in seven hours for their work per day, 6 members put in eight hours of work per day and 7 respondents work according to the order received. Around 37% of the respondents work only two hours a day at the self-help group. 22.2% of the women work for around 4 hours and 8 hours respectively.

The respondents put in 2 hours to 8 hours per day in their work every day. Women in the successful groups put in at least 7 to 8 hours per day as they had to reach a goal of manufacturing a certain number of products in a week. Members who worked 2 hours a day made their products through orders received.

14. Training given to the members for making products Training is a major aspect in the self-help groups. Women need to be trained in order to make products. The trainings equip the women to manufacture the products.

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Training received

Percentage

No

59.3%

No but need training

11.1%

Already had required 18.5% skill Yes by BMC

5.6%

Yes by an NGO

3.7%

Yes by a private firm

11.1%

According to the table above – 16 respondents had got no training to manufacture the products, 3 respondents have not got any training but they need it, 5 respondents already had the skill required,3 respondents were given training by the MCGM, 1 respondent was given training by an NGO and 3 respondents have got training from a private firm.

Majority of the respondents (59.3% of the total respondents) feel that there is no need for training while some of the women are trained by private firms or NGOsâ€&#x; or they are already equipped with the necessary skills that are required.

The respondents feel that there is no need for training because they are satisfied with the products made by them and the sales made. To obtain training, the members have to go to the BMC office with the suggestion of any kind of training. Sometimes they do not have new ideas about what skill they can be trained with and also to go to learn the skills is considered an obstacle by these women.

Majority of respondents said that they did not receive any training but didnâ€&#x;t need it to.

Most of these respondents worked in groups which manufactured food products and made bags, clothing etc. Cooking and stitching are considered to be women oriented work so it was easy for the respondents to work towards making the products.

In one successful group, the leader hired women who knew advanced stitching and were ready to put in at least 6 hours per day. This brings the aspect of inclusivity that they are hired only on basis of a certain skill that they possess. It could be one of the reasons for the success of the group as this group has set up stalls in big festivals like Kala Ghoda festival and a have a workshop with all equipment where the women come to work.

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15. Products manufactured by the self-help group The various products that are manufactured by the women are garments, bags, food items, puppets and other decorative articles. These are produced according to the interests of the manufacturers. The leader of the self-help group is found to be the mastermind behind the product that is being produced.

Products manufactured

Percentage

Women‟s garments

44.5%

Bags

7.4%

Food items

37%

Puppets

3.7%

Decorative articles

7.4%

According to the table above – 12 respondents work in groups which manufacture women‟s garments, 2 respondents work in groups which produce bags, 13 respondents work in groups which manufacture food related products , 1 respondent works in a group which manufactures puppets and 2 respondents work in groups which manufacture decorative articles like jhumar and latkan. Majority of the respondents, which cover around 44.5% of the total respondents, work in groups that manufacture garments. 37% of women work in manufacturing food items. The table also shows that women are involved in manufacturing products that are useful to them. These products are mostly considered to be in the arena of women and hence these women work in manufacturing these items.

Most of the groups produced food related and clothing items which are very women oriented. The other groups made articles like agarbatti, phenyl, soap which are already very common in the market.The training given by the BMC for product making usually includes the above products. These products are easy to make at home and for years since the establishment of SHG‟S, these products were a popular choice. However in the current situation, these products are easily available in the market at low prices. These products are manufactured by big companies in bulk and sold at a lower rate so it proves to be a tough competition to these self help groups.

The groups and their members lack creativity and risk taking ability to expand their business.

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16. Basis of Payment to the members Basis of payment to the members of the self-help group is either done through the amount of works done by each member of the group or is done through equally dividing the profit among all the members of the group.

Basis of Payment

Percentage

According to the work 66.7% done by the member Money is divided 33.3% equally among the members

According to the table above- 18 respondents are paid according to the work done by them in a month and 12 respondents get paid in a way in which the whole amount is divided equally among all members. Majority of the self-help groups which is around 66.7% of the respondents stated that the payment is done according to the work done by each member of the group. This type of payment is fair but in case the members of the group are unable to understand the method it will cause conflict among the members of the group.

Majority of the respondents feel that they should get paid for the work done by them because in most groups there are one or two members whose participation in product making is less. The other members feel that it is not fair that the money should be paid equally if some of them are putting in more time and energy while others are not.

17. Process of determining the selling price of the finished product The price of the finished product is very important as it determines the profit earned by each member in the self-help group. It is very important and is a basic right to set the price of the product made by the women of the group.

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Selling price of the Percentage product Price is decided after 81.5% comparing it to the price of the same product in the market Price is decided by the 18.5% party who places the order

According to the table above- 25 respondents and their groups set the selling price of the product after comparing it to the market price and 5 respondents and their group have to sell their products at a price decided by the party which places an order. Around 81.5% of the total respondents shared that the price is decided after making a comparative study with the other similar products available in the market. Around 18.5% of the respondents shared that the price is set by the party who places the order of the products. At times, this might lead to the exploitation of the workers.

When receiving orders by the third party, the groups are often unable to bargain about the price and have to accept the order given to them. The party usually buys the product at a cheaper rate from the SHG but sells it at a higher rate in the market and the group gets no amount of profit from it.

While describing the process of setting a selling price to their products, the respondents lacked knowledge of technical terms. Most set prices to their products similar to that of the market as private companies are a threat to their business.

18. Method of division of profit among the members Profit division is very important in a self-help group. As the work is being done by many women in the group, there is need to share the profit among all the women of the group. Even if the self-help group is registered under a leadersâ€&#x; name, the profit must be shared among all the workers as they participate in the manufacturing and selling of the products.

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Method of division of Percentage profit Negligible profit

22.2%

Divided equally among 55.6% members According to the work 7.4% done Profit is put into the 14.8% bank account

According to the table above – 6 respondents say they have negligible profit in their group, 18 respondents said that the profit is divided equally among all the members, 2 respondents said that the profit is divided according to the work done by the individuals and 4 respondents said that all the profit is put into the bank for later use. The data collected clearly suggests that in majority cases, the profit is divided equally among the members of the group. Only two respondents have responded that the profit is shared among the workers according to the works done by the members of the group.

Majority of groups shared their profits equally among all the members which work on democratic principles of a self-help group. Some groups stated that they do not have any profit as they manufacture products like roti and chutney and cannot set a high selling price for it.

19. Methods of reaching out to the target audience for the products The target audience plays an important role in making a product successful or a failure one. It is very important to find target audience for all the products manufactured by the women in the self-help group. These women have to find audience for their products in order to earn a good profit.

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Target audience In the community

Percentage nearby 70.4%

By approaching 14.8% schools, colleges, etc Via social media

7.4%

Referral by previous 11.1% customers Contact given organization Not applicable

by 11.1%

11.1%

According to the table above- 22 respondents and their groups sell their products in the nearby community, 4 respondents and their groups approach schools, colleges & offices, 2 respondents and their groups sell their products via social media, 3 respondents and their groups sell their products by referral of previous customers, 3 respondents and their groups sell their products to contacts given by an organization and 3 respondents and their groups get orders by their third party. Majority of the women (70.4% of the total respondents) in the self-help groups sell their products in the nearby communities. Only 7.4% of the respondents use social media to sell their products. This shows the limitations faced by the women in their community as they are not able to step out or sell through online even after the development of technology.

The target audiences for the manufactured products are usually the community members of the respondents. Other main groups are friends, family, etc. Very few groups set up their stalls in colleges and offices as they do not manufacture products which will be needed by people in colleges and offices. Only two respondents used the medium of social media but limited it only to their family friends to receive orders.

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20. Challenges faced by the group while making the products Challenges faced by the self-help groups while making the products refers to the various problems or hindrances faced by the women during the process of manufacturing the products. The major challenges faced by the women in the self-help groups are the struggle to raise capital in order to start the manufacturing cycle of the self-help group.

Another major challenge faced by the women in the self-help groups are that they receive more orders and they have less workers who contribute to the production and there is also a problem of less contribution in terms of production from certain women in the team.

These women also face great problem in balancing between the chores of their home and the work pressure in manufacturing and meeting the deadlines of the order.

Challenges faced

Percentage

Insufficient capital/finance

22.2%

More orders and less 14.8% people to work on it Difficult to manage 33.3% work and home Contribution by certain 14.8% members is less None

14.8%

According to the table above – 6 respondents claimed that they do not have enough money to get raw material, 5 respondents state that they get more orders and have less members in their group, 11 respondents find it difficult to manage household and the work of the self-help group, 4 respondents state that they face difficulty as all members do not contribute to the process equally and 4 respondents say they do not face any major issues.

Around 33.3% of the respondents which cover a majority of the total respondents who are members of the self- help group face the problem of balancing and managing the household chores and the work at the self-help group. The second most important problem faced by the women in self-help groups is that raising capital funds to start the manufacturing of their products. It is very difficult for the women as they need to fend for themselves and they need to raise money their business. Hence, the top two major problems faced by the women in the self-help groups are that they find it difficult to manage the work at home and at office and they also have insufficient capital to start their business.

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34% of the respondents said that they find it difficult to manage their household work and work at the self-help group. If they do not finish their household work, their husband and mother in law are not very pleased and try to restrict their going to the self-help group as they believe the house should be the first responsibility.

Respondents also state that some members of the group do not contribute in the process of manufacturing the products so it becomes a limitation in their production.

Till the loan gets sanctioned by the government, they do not have capital to invest in raw material so their range of products becomes limited.

21. Challenges faced by the group while selling the products The challenges faced by the group while selling the product refers to the various hindrances faced by a particular group of women entrepreneurs from other self-help groups and the consumers. The hindrance from other self-help groups refers to the problem of identical products. The self-help groups produce only some products like accessories, food items, puppets, etc. These items are also produced by other self-help groups and hence there is a problem of having identical products in the market. These women do not have great knowledge about the marketing strategy that can be used by them to sell their products in the market. Hence, they find it difficult to reach out to the consumers.

Challenges faced

Percentage

Same type of products 22.2% are being sold by a different group Poor strategies None

marketing 51.8%

25.9%

According to the table above – 6 respondents and their groups face problem of product homogeneity in the market, 14 respondents and their groups lack marketing skills and 10 respondents and their groups do not face any major challenges while selling their products.

Majority of the respondents which amounts to around 51.8% of the total respondents 43

stated that they are lagging behind due to poor marketing strategies and hence they are not able to make good profit out of the business. Around 22.2% of the respondents responded that they are facing trouble in selling their products in the market due to identical products in the market. Around 25.9% of the women responded that they did not face any product while selling their products.

Respondentâ€&#x;s state there is homogeneity of products in the market. Most self-help group stick to the usual preference of making food related items and clothing items which limits the market available to them. When we visited a Mela set up by the MCGM for the self-help groups, many groups made the same products like papad, chutney, Manchurian, sandwich which made the products very repetitive.

The groups focus on manufacturing the products but do not pay attention to how they are going to sell the products.

It was seen in the successful groups that 3-4 members managed the marketing and used to go out for selling the products. This was visible in only 2 of the 8 groups interviewed.

22. Which products have a better market according to the respondents?

The productivity of a particular product depends on the requirement of the consumers.

In the fast life of Mumbai, people prefer to buy more food items that will in turn make their life a bit easier.

Products market

with

better Percentage

Clothing items

11.1%

Food items

48.2%

According to the latest 22.2% trend According to the quality 18.5% of the product

According to the table above - 3 respondents feel that clothing items have a better market, 13 respondents feel that food products have a better market, 6 respondents feel that the product should be in sync with the latest trends and 5 respondents believe that the 44

quality of the product is more important. Majority of the respondents stated that food products always were welcomed in the market by the consumers.

Respondents stated that food products work better in the market as there is always need for food but leads to homogeneity in the options available in the market. They also feel that the product should be unique and according to the trend in the market. One respondent who we met at the Mela in Tilak Nagar said that there were stalls selling flowers from Assam and people selling hand made pots which always had a rush at the counter. She felt that these products were different from the others and they grabbed the attention of the buyers.

23. Availability of stalls in festivals and Melas‟

Melas‟ and festivals are places where people visit during the season and they are always enthralled by the stalls that are put up for sale. As they come in with their family, they are compelled to buy the products. The festivals and melas‟ are good places that can ensure the effective sale of products and there is assurity that the products will get a greater outreach among the buyers.

Availability of Market Percentage in Melas‟ & Festivals Yes

66.7%

No

33.3%

According to the table above- 21 respondents and their groups get space in mela‟s and festivals and 9 respondents and their groups do not get space in mela‟s and festivals.

Around 66.7% of the total respondents have stated that they get space in the melas‟ and festivals and it gives them the surety that their products are being recognized and held up for sale in bigger groups.

The successful groups claimed that the BMC has stopped giving them a space in the Mela‟s organized by them as they felt that the group doesn‟t need their help anymore but they got stalls in various festivals like Maratha mela, Kala Ghoda festival, etc.

The small-scale do not get the opportunities to go to festivals other than the one‟s by BMC as renting stalls can cost them up to 1 lakh rupees and they can‟t afford it.

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Savings of the respondent 24. Does the respondent have a personal bank account?

Bank accounts are an important facility that helps and ensures women to save money for any purpose which might arise in the near future. On the other hand as citizens of India, the bank account is an important document that will be taken into consideration.

Hence, it is important for women to maintain a personal bank account.

Personal Bank Accounts

Percentage

Yes

74.1%

No

25.9%

According to the table above- 23 respondents have a personal bank account and 7 respondents do not have a personal bank account. Around 74.1% of the women in self-help groups are having personal bank accounts. These accounts are used for the purpose of giving out the earnings of the women.

Only 7 out of 30 respondents stated that they do not personal bank accounts as they didnâ€&#x;t feel that they need it and their husbands account is enough for them to put their money in.

25. Does the Self-help Group have a bank account of its own?

Self-help groups need to have a bank account in order to access to any loans and other facilities that are provided through the bank. Hence, it is important for all self-help groups to maintain a bank account.

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Bank Account of the Percentage SHG Yes

100%

No

0

According to the table above - All the respondents and their groups have a joint bank account.

All the groups have one joint bank account and some even have two accounts. The purpose of these bank accounts is to get and repay the loan received by the government and to collect the profits separately.

26. Is the respondent able to save money at the end of the month?

Money is a major element of life and it is the root cause of starting the self-help groups.

People work in order to be economically supportive to their family. The women who are earning the money have a great desire to save money for having a better future for their children. Saving is an important quality and this value needs to be inculcated at a very young age.

Ability to Save Money

Percentage

Little to no money

59.3%

All the money is spent on 18.5% household items Yes

22.2%

According to the table above -16respondents are barely able to save any money, 6 respondents spend their entire salary in running their household and 8 respondents are able to save their money. The data clearly shows that around 59.3% of the respondents are able to save a minimum amount of money while 22.2% respondents are able to save a good 47

amount of money. Around 18.5% of the respondents are not able to save money at all and all their earnings are spent in order to meet the needs of the household.

60% of the respondents said that they are able to save little to no money. It is important to know here that all 30 respondents claimed that their whole income is used to run the house and fulfill basic needs. The purpose of this income is to be used and not saved.

Therefore only few members said they are able to save money after all the expenses are cleared.

The respondents who were able to save the money usually kept the amount to themselves and said that sometimes when there is enough money, they buy a dress piece for themselves. This helps them to avoid asking for money from the husband and they feel proud that they were able to buy clothes for themselves.

27. Is the money earned and saved by the respondent enough to run the household?

Women step out to earn only for running the household. Sometimes, when a woman is part of a self-help group then there is some issue when it comes to having money. Most of the times it is divided based on the work done by each individual and it also differs from person to person as the job is also different for each individual.

Is the money sufficient?

Percentage

Yes it is sufficient

25.9%

No, but basic needs are being 22.2% fulfilled It is not enough

51.9%

According to the table above - 9 respondents feel that their salary is enough to run their household, 7 respondents feel that it is not enough but basic needs are fulfilled and 14 respondents feel that it is very less to run their household. Majority of the women stated that the amount that is earned through their job at the self-help group is not sufficient for them to run the family. Only 25.9% of the respondents stated that the money that they earn is sufficient to run their family. Around 22.2% of the respondents stated that the basic needs are being fulfilled while all the other needs are left aloof.

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Very few members said that their monthly salary is enough to run their house. A majority stated that the basic needs are fulfilled and the rest is done by using their husbands income. Respondents also stated that this money is not enough to fulfill even the basic needs of the family. This is so because the size of the family is large, expenses on school related supplies, their salary is less , paying the rent of the house, etc.

Family and Work 28. Is the respondentâ€&#x;s family supportive of their work?

Family is the basic unit of a society. The support given by the family members stands as a major element when it comes to working women. These women who are part of the selfhelp groups get support and ideas from their families in terms of what to sell and where to sell.

Support of the Family

Percentage

Yes

100%

No

0

According to the table above - all 30 respondents said that their family is supportive of their work.

All respondents stated that their families are supportive of them going to work and earn for the family but there is an unsaid condition that they need to finish all the household chores first and to give more importance to the household

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29. What are the challenges faced by the respondent from their family?

Family plays a major role in supporting the women who are members of the self-help group. At the same time, some of the families from which these women come from have some expectations from the women and these can actually be considered as the challenges faced by the women. The two major challenges faced by the women are in the form of workload and gossips. These women are expected to finish their household work before they go out to the self-help groups for work. These women also faced comments that were passed on by their neighbors about the women stepping out of their houses for work.

Challenges Family None

from

the Percentage

37%

Expected to finish all 55.6% household work before going to work Comments were passed 7.4% by neighbors

According to the table above- 11 respondents faced any challenges from their family, 17 respondents were expected to finish all the household chores before going to work and 2 respondents were passed comments on by their neighbors. Majority of the women who were respondents of this study stated that they were expected to complete their work at home before stepping out for work. Around 37% of the total respondents stated that they had no issues from their family with regard to their working pattern or from the community with regard to a woman who is working.

Many women felt that is difficult to finish their household work and balance their work at the self-help group together. Women who put in 7 to 8 hours find it very stressful to manage everything together but they have nothing they can do to change it.

2 respondents also said that their neighbors passed comments when they got to know that she is going out to work. The respondents said that their neighbors used to pass comments like „Is your husband not earning enough that you have to go out and earn?‟ and „ It is not good for women to leave young children at home and go to work,‟ This behavior initially demotivated the women but now they have made peace with it.

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30. How does the respondent‟s salary help in running the house?

The utilization of the salary of the respondents can be defined as the various purposes in which the money is used by the women. The utilization of salary becomes a major aspect as the responses reveal the purpose of the earning and also if they are able to save something from the total monthly earnings of the family.

Role of their Salary in Percentage running the household Helps in buying 55.6% household items so that husbands salary is saved Used for education

children‟s 18.5%

Doesn‟t help a lot

25.9%

According to the table above- 18 respondents said that their salary is used in buying household items, 5 respondents spend their salary on their children‟s education and 7respondents feel that their salary doesn‟t help in running their household. Around 55.6% of the respondents stated that they are able to fulfill the needs of the household and are also able to save their husband‟s earnings. Around 18.5% of the respondents stated that the money earned through their work comes handy in taking care of the education of their children. The data clearly shows that around 25.9% of the respondents stated that the money that they earn through the self-help group doesn‟t help their family in a greater way.

Majority of the respondents said that their salary is spent on buying household articles, some spend it on their childrens education and some say that their salary is not enough to contribute wholly to any aspect. These women earn comparatively less than their husbands.

31. Do the respondent‟s family members help in the work?

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Family members support the women in being part of the self-help groups but when it comes to their support in work it is either by sharing ideas or helping in the household work. The family members do not help the women in completing their orders.

Support of Family Percentage Members in Work No

44.5%

Family helps in 33.3% suggesting ideas for work purpose Family helps in household 7.4% work No, but they are okay if I 14.8% get pending work to be done at home

According to the table above – 14 respondents do not get any help regarding their work from their family, 9 respondents said that their family members help in suggesting ideas for the work, 3 respondents said that their families pitch in to help with the household work and 4 respondents said that their families are okay if they get their pending work at home. Around 44.5% of the women stated that their family members do not extend any sort of support for completing their work and 14.8% women stated that their family members do not support in completing the work but they are okay in case of the woman taking her pending work to her home. Around 33.3% women stated that their family gives them ideas for making their products and marketing. The study also suggests that only 7.4% of the respondents received support from their family members in handling the household chores.

45% of the respondents said that their family members do not help them in their work, whether its household work or the work at the SHG if they get it at home to work on. Some say that the family helps in suggesting ideas for work, Young daughters lend hand to work in the house while the mother is away and some do not help but are okay with the respondent getting her work to do at home.

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32. What are the suggestions given by the respondents to become a successful entrepreneur?

Suggestions and recommendations are a major part of any study. It is important to seek the suggestions of the respondents in order to bring some change into effect. This aspect of the study helps us to gain understanding on the needs of the women in the self-help groups.

Suggestions respondents

by

the Percentage

BMC should guide and 29.6% provide the groups with an open market There should be passion 14.8% in the members towards their work Marketing techniques 55.6% should be taught to the groups as the training for product manufacturing is done.

According to the table above - 8 respondents feel that BMC should provide open markets for SHGâ€&#x;s, 6 respondents feel that it is the members contribution which will make a group successful and 16 respondents feel that marketing techniques should be taught to make a group more successful. Majority of the respondents which is around 55.6% of the total respondents stated that the marketing techniques must be taught to the women in order to effectively sell the products in the community. Around 29.6% of the total respondents wanted the BMC to guide and provide the groups with an open market where these women can come and sell their products. Around 14.8% of the respondents stated that the women need to be passionate about their work and through passion they can achieve great things.

A majority of the respondents feel that they should get training and techniques to sell their product in the market like they get training from the BMC to manufacture products. They feel that this could lead to better sales and better income for the members.

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15% believe that the success of a group mainly depends on the members, their willingness to work and the hard work put in by them. The rest feel that BMC should provide an open market which is easily accessible by the groups to sell their products throughout the year.

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The Concept of Empowerment of Women through Self-help groups v/s The Reality The main purpose of creating self-help groups is to create a source of income and develop a habit of saving among the women. These women make various products like clothes, food items, household articles and decorative articles. Then these articles are solved in the market to gain profits. Slowly, the concept of self-help groups has changed and many businesses are converting into self-help groups to get loans easily. We have come across one such group in our study. The group was previously a privately owned business by an individual. She had a workshop where the workers would come together and make products like school bags, puppets and teddy bears. When the owner got to know about the concept of self-help group, she got their business registered and her previous workers are now the members of her self-help group. They soon applied for a loan and after a visit by the officials to the workshop, their loan was approved. They were sanctioned a loan for 5 lakh rupees which will be given in 5 parts. On receiving the first part, the money was equally divided among all the members. Each member received Rs.10,000 . Some of the members wanted to start a business of their own so with their share of the money, they set up a fish vending stall, flour mill and ice cream shop. These 3 members are still registered in the self-help group although they don‟t work in the workshop. They still contribute a monthly amount for the repayment of the loan.

This model successfully helped all the women to follow their dreams and become entrepreneurs.

1) Self-help group as a good opportunity for women SHG‟s are created by involvement of 10-20 women agreeing to form a group which has common goals. It typically comprises a group of micro-entrepreneurs having homogenous social and economic backgrounds; all voluntarily coming together to save regular small sums of money, mutually agreeing to contribute to a common fund and to meet their emergency needs on the basis of mutual help. They pool their resources to become financially stable, taking loans from the money collected by that group and by making everybody in that group self- employed. These groups have the power to form their own byelaws which enables them to work on their own conditions. All these aspects enable these groups to work as an individual entity.

Given these powers, the groups have immense possibility to become successful and make profits to ensure sustainability of the group. Self-help groups act as a source of income generation for the women which helps them to support their families. This financial help contributes a considerable amount to the running of the household and helps alleviate poverty. When these women are financially independent, they become confident and voice their opinion in the house matters.

Individuals who are a part of the group usually do not have access to the formal banking system. This makes it difficult for them to procure loans to support their ideas. A respondent said that the first time she went to a bank she was very nervous and scared. She didn‟t know what to do. She felt that the bank employees would make fun of her not being able to speak English. After going to the bank multiple times with her coworkers, she learned the procedure of depositing cash. She felt proud that she has learnt something new 55

and is now able to do the same for her house. Registering and working as an SHG makes it easier for the group to get loans and support their business venture. The interest rate for the loan is comparatively low so this option is more efficient than depending on private moneylenders who charge exorbitant interest rates.

It is shown that women become more socially aware with their involvement in the group and actively take part in the activities in their community.

2) Membership in Self-Help Groups Self-help groups work on democratic values so entry in a group is only the basis of a person‟s willingness to work and contribute in a group. It was noticed that in all the groups involved in our study, the members of a group had very homogenous features. All the members come from a similar background, practice the same religion, speak the same language and belong to the same region in the country. This makes the group a closed group and rarely diversity is seen in such groups.

M East ward is one of the regions in Mumbai city where the Muslim Population is high but the involvement of Muslim women is seen to be very less in these self-help groups. There are a few groups which have participation of Muslim women but again it‟s a closed group and there is no diversity in the group.

It is also because that when people migrate to a new place they find a home for themselves in clusters where they share common characteristics and interests with the neighbors. Selfhelp groups are usually formed by women living in the same neighborhood so in situations like this; they do not have a chance of forming a diverse group.

3) Savings of the respondent

Most of the respondents in our study said that they are barely able to save Rs. 200-300 per month after all the expenses are cleared. Some have said that nothing is left out of their entire salary by the end of the month. But all the women have said that the main use of their salary is to take care of the household expenses. The women in the study come from families where both the husband and wife are earning to support the household but only the wife‟s salary is used. The husband‟s salary is put away for savings.

Out of their salary, the women buy household articles, food items, pay for education of the children and other miscellaneous items.

Even though the women were earning by putting in effort and hard work, they still aren‟t able to take a stand for themselves and their hard earned money.

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4) Professional career and responsibility of being a home maker Even when a woman is a working at the self-help group, she often thinks about the situation at her home. How she has to manage her children, expenses, doing the household work etc. No matter what work a woman does at the end of the day she has to come back to her home and do the domestic work.

A woman who is unemployed and sitting at home, she wishes to go out and earn to support her family. As her husband is already working, her income serves as an additional income to spend on certain expenses like education, ration and household articles. Many women we talked to said that they get tired after working all day and then again they have to go home and prepare dinner. Some said that their family members help them but again its only their daughters who help them in household activities and food preparation.

5) Concepts of leadership in Self-Help Groups In almost all of the groups, the leaders are very prominent figures in the group. Usually these are the women who have set up the group and gathered all the members together to make a self-help group of their own. Often it was also seen that these were the women who were educationally qualified better than the other members.

When we took a Focus Group discussion with one group, the leader of the group was answering all of the questions on behalf of the other members and when the others were personally asked what they felt, they said that they felt what she (the leader) said. In all of this, we also noticed that the leader was constantly referring to her group members as her „workers‟. When asked, it turns out that actually this was a private owned business which she converted into a self-help group for easy access to loans and better payment to all. So all her previous workers are now her coworkers.

All this being said, she also helped some members of the group to set up their own small business like a flour mill, ice cream shop and selling fish. From the loan received by the MCGM, the money was equally divided among all the members to use for their own needs.

6) Conflicts in the group and how profit is shared A majority of groups said that they do not face any intergroup conflicts and whenever there is a conflict, it is solved by having group meetings. As we are almost like outsiders to the groups, it is pretty obvious that they wouldn‟t share their internal group dynamics and reasons of conflicts, however it was hinted at by some members that conflicts have happened because of financial issues.

Many groups have said that all the profit and earnings have been divided equally among all the members since the start of their group. Some thought of this as a problem because it was also said that certain members of the group do not participate in the group process as much is needed out of them. Some members feel it is unfair that still those women are given an equal pay like the others who have worked how much is required out of them.

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7) Challenges for training in Product making Most of the groups who were a part of this study made clothing and food items. This is one of the most approached areas when deciding what to make in the group because all women know stitching and how to make food items because they already do it for their home.

Because of this, there is a surplus of these products in the market and there is high competition to make their products visible.

If they even go for other items like candles, incense sticks, phenyl, dishwashing liquid these products also donâ€&#x;t get customers easily because these products are being made by private companies in bulk and sold at lesser prices. This brings out the question that why should people but the same products from self-help groups rather than buying the ones which are usually available in the market?

The products lack creativity and something which would stand out as unique in a market flooded with products. The women need more risk taking ability to make new products for selling.

Today women come forward with their unique idea which is the great way in the M-east Ward. The women explained that the entire activity helps women to develop economically and support their family as most of their SHGs save their money directly in their group account and if at any point of time, a group member is in need of the money for urgent needs like medical, educational or any other purpose then the group helps the member immediately to solve the issue of the group member. The women of the SHGs have made their social identity into social institutions.

Motivating to engage multi activity comes from the sense of curiosity of the women. Some SHGs have women who are well read and still are house wives. On the other hand those women who want to study but are not motivated to do so. Today women come forward with their unique idea which is the great way in the M-east Ward. The women explained that the entire activity helps women to develop economically and support their family as most of their SHGs save their money directly in their group account and if at any point of time, a group member is in need of the money for urgent needs like medical, educational or any other purpose then the group helps the member immediately to solve the issue of the group member. The women of the SHGs have made their social identity into social institutions.

Now women participate in BMC meetings and are trying to access the schemes of central and state government ministries. Some of the SHGs have taken loan under the Antoday Yojana up to 2 lakhs to 5 lakhs and they have started their own Kirana mal shop in their community. It is indeed a very big achievement of the women. The women have realized the need of money and have stepped forward to be resource generators or the providers of their families. These women have also participated in the problem solving process and community development activity and they also have made a network with stakeholders for their business development.

When we talk to the women of the Self-help Group and ask them to share their experience about the SHG, the women come forward and tells us that how SHGs have changed their 58

life style. They said that, when we come together and form the SHG, we get the „weâ€&#x; feeling and we feel united and through our unity we can achieve and develop ourselves and our business and do something better in the society. We are able to voice out the issues related to our family and community in the SHG because of our unity. We are also empowered in a way in which we can voice out our needs in the meetings, bank. We are also able to get to know about the schemes given by the BMC and the government. The concept of self-help group has empowered women in a positive way and through the SHG women are able to produce and sell their products in the market and we feel like an entrepreneur.

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Research Findings 1. It is seen that a large number of the respondents have migrated from another state to Mumbai or have migrated from the rural parts of Maharashtra to Mumbai.

Areas like Govandi and Mankhurd have a high rate of migrant population 2. 25% of the respondents never went to school and a collective 36% dropped out of school before the tenth standard. Only two respondents have graduated from college. It was seen that the most educated members of the group were often the leaders and had a vision of what the groups‟ future is like. As a lot of women in our study weren‟t educated, the medium of a self-help group seems like a good idea for them to earn money to support their family.

3. 50% of the respondents claimed that they joined the self-help groups because of the intervention of the BMC workers that they are now working in self-help groups.

4. 74% of the respondents‟ said that their intention to join the self-help groups was to earn money.

5. 63% of the respondents were homemakers before joining these groups. The others worked as tailors, domestic helps, worked in Ngo‟s, etc.

6. 74% of the respondents expected the group to give them employment which in turn would give them an income to support the needs of their family.

7. It is seen that on an average members stay in a group for 4-6 years and then they discontinue working. This is because of various reasons like conflict among group, better job opportunity, changing area of residence.

8. The SHGs are facing the problems that are lack of co-ordination, lack of management, lack of proficiency in terms of business, maintaining record, conducting meetings, making decisions etc.

9. There is a lack of awareness among the respondents about the facilities available to them via various schemes under the MCGM. 10. The groups which put in an average of 7-8 hours of work were seen to be more successful as they produced more products and had long term goals.

11. Although a majority of groups manufactured clothing items, the respondents felt that food items have a better market than other products.

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12. 70% of the respondents sold their products in their neighboring community only as they lacked marketing skills to go beyond and reach out to the general public.

13. The respondents feel that the biggest skill they lack is marketing skill and not availability of market as in cities as populated like ours itâ€&#x;s easy to get regular customers. They believe that they lack in reaching out to the public and giving the assurance that their products are worth the money.

14. All the groups have 2 bank accounts, one to clear the bank loan and the other to collect profits.

15. The concept of self-help group aims to propagate the practice of saving money among women but 59% of the respondents said that they are able to save little or no money by the end of the month.

16. All the respondents use their entire salary in buying household articles, educational needs of the children and other miscellaneous needs so that their husband can save his salary and keep it for important needs.

17. The families of the respondents are supportive of their work but there are certain perquisites like completing house work, preparing food, looking after children and their education which the respondent has to do before going to work.

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Conclusion The idea of SHG is a system for simple accessibility of microcredit to women and helps them to elevate their social and monetary status. Their contribution in family choices is upgraded. Microcredit empowers women to claim instruments and method for creation to redesign their abilities and enhance their business. A large portion of the poor women utilize this cash at to begin with, for local needs, to bolster their families. Supported by microcredit, women are presently running small shops, making snacks, making school bags, clothes and so on. Women have understood that they have a vital part to play in the family and certain about accomplishing their objectives set for their families and settle on real choices, therefore suggesting an expansion in the impact of women in basic leadership in their family units.

There are numerous examples of women earning a substantial income out of the micro enterprises, women being, local leaders, women heading households and having a major say in family matters. It is crucial that such projects should be part of an organizational strength, reaching women to challenge gender inequality and economic injustice. This will empower the women economically and socially.

If the above points are taken into consideration it can help the self-help groups to achieve all their objectives and grow into successful entrepreneurs.

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Recommendations ● Some of the SHGs function is to receive only the grants, schemes and aids from the government so the MCGM or NGOs should make the SHGs aware how they can access these funds and the criteria to be fulfilled for that. ● The respondent shared their views that they are very willing to do business but they don‟t have any place where they can sell their products so MCGM should provide market to SHGs where they can sell their products. The SHGs are ready to pay their rent for that and all they need is a suitable intervention by the Government to fulfill their need. ● The SHGs are facing the problems that are lack of co-ordination, lack of management, lack of proficiency in terms of business, maintaining record, conducting meetings, making decisions etc. so the NGOs and MCGM can come forward and work on these issues, It can be done by having small sessions about formation and sustenance of self help groups so that the groups are aware. ● MCGM or NGOs should manage programs for SHGs on management, products making, products selling, marketing strategies, income generating activities for their sustainability. This can be conducted as an orientation program after the groups are formed so that there‟s a lesser chance of the group splitting later on. ● MCGM should do awareness about Central and State Government Program, Schemes and how it can be avail by the SHGs. ● Self-help groups should extend the area of their business and try to reach to local markets for their products. Most self-help groups are dependent on the MCGM mela‟s to sell their products in bulk. If they team up with local stores who give them a shelf to sell their products it will lead to better exposure for sales. ● ·Senior women should also be encouraged to participate in the programme as they have good experience of making different sort of things. ● It is essential to literate the illiterate members in a minimum time frame. So that those members can take part more effectively in the working of SHGs. ● The banking system can and must improve its functioning by working with local government and voluntary organization. ● There should be regular evaluation and monitoring of SHGs through different useful agencies like government, NGOs, etc.

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Bibliography 1. Forgotten by BMC? Ward with highest slum population struggles for basics (The Times of India, January 21st, 2017) 2. Battle for BMC: M-East ward tops the list for the highest crime rate( DNA India, December 22nd, 2016) 3. Handbook of forming SHGâ€&#x;s by NABARD 4. Loan approvals depend on borrowersâ€&#x; address (LiveMint, April 8th, 2008) 5. Deininger, 2009, Economic and Social Impacts of Self-help Groups in India, www.shodhganga.com

6. Nandini, 2016, A study on Empowerment through Self-help groups, www.shodhganga.com

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Annexure Success story of Jijamata Mahila Bachat Ghat- A SHG entrepreneur This Self-help group was started in the year 2008 by Mrs. Supriya Nadankar. At that time, she was working as a tailor at a shop. The thought of starting a self-help group came to her mind when she attended a meeting conducted by the Nagarsevak of the area which was about self-help groups. She always wanted to start a business of her own so with three of her friends, they started mobilizing women to create a group of at least ten members. The search was not easy as they had criteria for membership in the group; all the women should know the basics of stitching and should be willing to learn the designs taught by Mrs.Supriya.

After the members were mobilized, they contacted the MCGM to lend them space to set up their workshop. At that time, they were given a space to work which was used to construct a stage for Navratri celebration. The group made articles like bags, kurti‟s and other clothing articles. As it was in an open space, a lot of passerby‟s would see these women working on their machines. One such day, a news reporter was passing by and was fascinated on seeing these women work outside.

After talking to them the reporter wrote an article about it. People started to visit the area and buy articles from the group. Slowly, they started gaining popularity in the area. However, during Navratri celebrations they had to completely stop their work for ten days. This interfered with their production process.

Soon they went to MCGM again with an application to give them a permanent working place. Soon they received the permit to set up their workshop in an old warehouse. This became their permanent workplace soon. One of their referral customers loved the articles so much that‟s he decided to call them for an exhibition at Tata Institute of Social Sciences. This was the moment where the group received a lot of popularity and regular customers. Their products sold much better than they had expected and soon their whole collection was over. After this they started getting regular orders from customers.

After their first experience, they gained confidence to set up stalls in various places. They have visited various schools, colleges and offices where there products have received a good response.

Since then they have been unstoppable and have been earning good profits. They have also set up their stall in the famous Kala Ghoda festival in Colaba once where their products were sold out by the end of the day.

Mrs.Supriya Nadankar‟s daughter is studying Fashion designing and she gives them continuous inputs and styles, colors and designs to be used. Both of them hope to make this group work as business model to bring in more profits and make it a brand.

Some months of the year like February, March, April, May; their main focus is to keep manufacturing products so sometimes the flow of money is less but as the members have good understanding and know that their hard work will get them profits soon, these members work tirelessly to achieve their goal. This group used their marketing ideas well and appealed to the taste of the general public and was hence able to create a sustainable market for themselves.

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Annexure:2 Consent Letter

सहभति ऩत्र

ऩुकाय एक स्विंत्र शोध साभूहहक औय शहयी ऻान उत्ऩादन केंद्र है जो शहयीकयण औय वैश्वीकयण से संफंधधि भुद्दों के लरए ऩाय अनुशासतनक फहु-ऺेत्रीम सभुदाम आधारयि शोध के लरए एक भंच प्रदानकयिा है ।

ऩुकाय का उद्दे श्म अनुसंधान को रोकचक्र फनाना औय फेदखर मा कभजोय रूऩ से संस्थागि सभूहों केफीच ऻान िक ऩहुंच

फढाने औय उन जगहों को फनाने के लरए जहां से उनके गैय ऩायं ऩरयक औय गैयववशेषऻ ऻान अऩने वामदा के फाये भें स्थानीम

याष्ट्रीम औय वैश्श्वक फहस भें मोगदान दे सकिे हैं। मह सबी के लरए एक अधधकाय के रूऩ भें अनुसंधान को फढावा दे िा है औय इसे शैऺणणक वकारि हस्िऺेऩऔय ऩरयवितन के लरए उऩकयण के रूऩ भें उऩमोग कयिा है .

हभ ववद्माथी है जो ऩुकाय इस साभाश्जक संस्था भें पेरोलशऩ/ संशोधन कय यहे है जहा ऩैय हभने

सोशरएंटयप्रेन्मोयलशऩ ववथ सेल्प हे ल्ऩ ग्रऩ ु मह ववषम लरमा है जो की भहहरा सऺभीकय से जड़ ु ा हुआ है श्जसभे हभ भहहरा फचि गठ के सदस्स्म व अध्मश से फाि धचि कयके चाहिे है की फचिगट द्वायाफनामे गए प्रोडक्ट को ककस ियह भाकेट भुहैमा कयामा जामे इस ऩय हभाया प्रमास है !मह तनवेदन है की आऩ हभाये इस संशोधन के कामत भें हभें सहकामत कये .

प्रतिवादी का नाभ-

हस्िाऺय-

हदनांक-

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Annexure: 3 Interview Schedule 1. Demographic profile ●

Name

●

Age

●

Sex

●

Area of residence

●

Native place

●

Since how many years are you residing in Mumbai?

●

Marital Status

●

Number of children

●

Educational qualification of the respondent

2. Details about the Self-help group and the respondents involvement ●

How did you get to know about the Self-help group?

●

What motivated you to be a part of this?

●

What are your expectations from the SHG?

●

Is your SHG registered under BMC?

●

Since how long are you a member of this SHG?

●

How many members are there in this SHG?

●

How many hours do you put into this work per week?

●

Prior to the start of manufacturing of goods, were you given formal training by any organization or so?

●

What are the products manufactured here?

●

How many products do you manufacture in a week?

●

How is the payment to each member decided?

●

How is the price of the products decided?

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●

Is there any profit made on selling the product? If there is, how is it divided among the members?

●

How are the products sold? How do you find your target audience?

●

Do you think that certain products have a better market than the others?

●

Do your products get a space in Mela's and big festivals?

3. Savings ●

Do you have an individual bank account?

●

Does the group have a joint bank account?

●

How much money are you able to save by the end of each month?

●

Do you think this much money is enough to run your household? If yes, why?

4. Family and Work ●

Is your family supportive of your decision to work in this SHG?

●

How much does your salary help in running the household?

●

Do your children and husband help in your work?

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Focus group discussion Name of the Group: Number of Members Present during the Discussion: Duration: 1. How do you feel working in self-help groups?

2. How did you come to know about the self-help group and what motivated you to be a part of it?

3. How often are the meetings conducted in the group? Do you have a group bank account?

4. If there is a conflict in the group how do you resolve it?

5. What do you produce in your SHGsâ€&#x;?

6. Do you think that certain products have a better market than the others?

7. Do your products get a space in Mela's and big festivals?

8. Do you have different types of training in your SHG that makes you strong empowered women?

9. Have you taken any loan for business management?

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