Performance of Self Help Groups in Mizoram

This paper attempt to study and find out the reason why very few SHG have entered the micro-enterprise stage, where the process of mobilizing the rural poor into SHG have not achieved up to the mark. In the state of Mizoram, Self Help Groups have been in existence since the Development of Women and Children (DWCRA) which was introduced under Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) and was replaced by the Swarnjayanti Gram SwarojgarYojana (SGSY) on 1st April 1999. But very few SHGs have entered the micro-enterprise stage, despite the vast magnitude of poverty, the mechanism of mobilizing the rural poor into Self Help Groups for delivering their credit system and linking with the bank for taking up their income generating activities have not reached optimum level. There is a need to find out the bottleneck for the poor performance in the state of Mizoram while the reason for it may vary from district to district and from groups to groups especially under the SGSY. It was felt very much essential to root out the weakness of the SHG’s functioning in the state and to come out with ways and means to suggest better options to improve the SHG’s movement. Further, the study aims at providing a database for further systematic planning and proving a roadmap for promotion of Federation of Self Help Groups. Therefore it was felt suitable to study the existing SHGs and revive the SHG movement particularly amongst the weak/defunct Self Help Groups in the state.