SHG Groups and Empowerment Issues in Odisha - A Case Study of Women Federation ‘Aparajita’

Abstract

This article or case study reflects the ground reality of WSHGs and producer groups operating in Odisha. The article also discusses the obstacles and challenges that women entrepreneurs confront. This particular case study aims to address the aspects of political interferences and social stigmas faced by rural women trying to have economic liberation. It also suggests to the policymakers how to go about the implementation of women empowerment schemes. There are usually informal groups of women called WSHGs, and they typically have a shared sense of how important it is for them to work together to improve things. These organisations encourage their members to save and pool their funds to fulfil immediate needs. The case study facts and findings are from the author’s personal experience while promoting the said women federation. A campaign called "Mission Shakti" has been operating in Orissa since 2001. It's the goal of the state government to bring together all of Orissa's WSHGs in one place. This case study is based on a women's producer federation named “Aparajita” in the small villages of Khajuria and New Khajuria in the Ganjam district of Odisha. The case study also reveals the typical obstacles rural women face and how the Govt. machinery could assist in overcoming them.