Study

On

Assessment of initiatives taken by BALCO for Women Empowerment

And an Action plan for improvement

AT
Bharat Aluminum Company Ltd

A Dissertation Submitted as the Partial Fulfillment

For the PGDM- Rural Management
By
Prity Kumari
RM 2015-2017
Under the Guidance of
Dr. Sant kumar Prasad

Associate Prof. XISS, Ranchi

XAVIER INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICE

RANCHI, JHARKHAND, INDIA
 Approval Sheet

This is to certify that the dissertation titled “Study On Assessment of initiatives taken by
BALCO for women Empowerment and an action plan for improvement at Bharat Aluminum
Company Ltd “ has been prepared by Prity kumari in partial fulfillment of the requirement for
the degree of Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management (PGDRM), 2015-17.

This dissertation has been prepared and analyzed by the student under the supervision of Dr.
Santkumar Prasad, Associate Professor, Department of Rural Management, XISS, Ranchi and is
hereby approved as indicating proficiency of the candidate.

---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------

Dr. Sant Kumar Prasad Prof. Dr. M. H. Ansari

(Guide) (Head of the Dept.)

Dept. of Rural Management Dept. of Rural Management

XISS, Ranchi XISS, Ranchi

---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------

External Examiner Dr. (Fr.) Alexius Ekka, S.J.

(Director)

XISS, Ranchi
 Acknowledgement

This project consumed huge amount of work, research and dedication. All this would not have
been possible if I did not have a support of many individuals and organizations. Therefore I
would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of them.

First of all I’m thankful to Dr. Sant Kumar Prasad Associate Professor, Department Of Rural
Management, XISS, who is my guide as well as our SIP coordinator, our faculty members for
their immense support throughout the whole process, our HoD Dr. M.H Ansari for his
continuous support and guidance, our director Fr. Alex Ekka for his inputs, BALCO CSR chief
Mr. Ashish Ranjan for financial and logistical support and for providing necessary guidance
concerning projects implementation. I would like to extend my thanks to Ms. Kanchan Nagesia
(Associate Manager), and Mr. Vivek Kumar Singh (Associate Manager) for his immense support
and guidance in every way during the whole period of our research.

I would like to express my sincere thanks towards all the field coordinators who devoted their
time and knowledge during my survey of all the selected SHGs. Mr. Kamal Singh Kanwal (field
coordinator BALCO) for his help, people from AROH foundation for their inputs throughout this
whole process.

Nevertheless, I express my gratitude toward my family and colleagues for their kind co-operation
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SL PAGE
CONTENTS
NO. NO

1 CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 STUDY ON INITIATIVES TAKEN BY BALCO FOR WOMEN

1
EMPOWERMENT

1.2 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE BY BALCO 3

2 CHAPTER-2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 4

3 CHAPTER-3: INITIATIVES UNDER WOMEN EMPOWERMENT 8

3.1 ORGANIZATION AND STUDY AREA PROFILE 8

3.2 BALCO INTERVENTION IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

9
THROUGH MICROFINANCE

4 CHAPTER-4: OBJECTIVE OF STUDY 13

4.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14

4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 15

4.3 TIME FRAME 19

5 CHAPTER-5: FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS 20

5.1 SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF SHG MEMBERS 21-26

5. 4FIELD EXPERIENCE: OBSERVATION 27

5.5 SUGGESTIONS 28

6 CHAPTER-6: CONCLUSION 29

6.1 REFERENCES 30

6.2 ANNEXURES 31

6.3 QUESTIONNAIRE-PICTURES 32-37

Abstract
In the Korba district of Chhattisgarh, three years ago BALCO Pvt ltd. started programmes to
empower the local women of district, charity has always been part of Balco culture & history but
when government of India newly amended the Companies Act 2013 , making it mandatory for
certain firms, private limited or public limited ,listed or unlisted to spend 2% of their profit on
CSR activities then women empowerment task took its pace and so far the company has formed
over 100 SHG all across Korba, Mainpat, and Kawardha.

The SHG method is used by the government, NGOs and others worldwide organizations.
Thousands of the poor and the marginalized population in India across all the states are building
their lives, their families and their society through Self-help groups. The main aim of this paper
is to examine the impact of Self-help Group in Socio-economic development of women in Korba
district. Balco Csr through Self-help Groups have been playing considerable role in training of
women, marketing and technology support, communication level of members, self confidence
among members, change in family violence, frequency of interaction with outsiders, change in
the saving pattern of SHG members, change in the cumulative saving pattern of SHG members
per month, involvement in politics, achieving social harmony, achieving social justice,
involvement in community action,
Sustainable quality and accountability, equity within SHG members and recovery from losses. It
analyses what is Self-Help Group? Why the Self-Help Group is so for empowerment of women?
The present status of Self-Help Group in korba, impact of Self-Help Group on the life of SHG
members, Shortcomings of Self-Help Group in the korba district, and Suggestions to improve
Self-Help Group status in the lives of women to lift them out of poverty, conclusion.

Keywords:Poor, Self-Help Group, achieving Social Justice, Sustainable quality, Equity,

Empowerment, Balco, Csr.
 CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 STUDY ON INITIATIVES TAKEN BY BALCO FOR WOMEN

EMPOWERMENT
Empowermen
t of women is one of the latest concepts that have developed In connection with improving the
status of women. It is thought that political empowerment or economic empowerment will
improve conditions for women and they will be closer to getting gender justice and equality.
What actually is ‘empowerment’? It is not a commodity that can be handed over to women.
Power is an analytical category which denotes strength or control. It is something that has to be
developed from within.

Empowerment is an active multidimensional process to enable women to realize their identity,

position and power in all spheres of life. Empowerment provides a greater access to knowledge
and resources, more autonomy in decision making, greater ability to plan lives, more control
over the circumstances which influence lives, and freedom from customs, belief and practices.
Empowerment demands a drastic and basic change in the system of marriage and family,
husband and wife relationship and attitude towards socialization and remarriage. Empowerment
is a process that gives a person freedom in decision making. Women's empowerment is not a
Northern concept. Women all over the world, including countries in the South, have been
challenging and changing gender inequalities since the beginnings of history. These struggles
have also been supported by many men who have been outraged at injustice against women and
their upon the consequences for the society. It would be yet another instance of imperialism to
say all these women and men did not have minds of their own.

Empowerment is an intrinsic quality of a person, which cannot be bestowed by a third party. It is

considered that an empowered person’s behavior undergoes a change. In a nutshell,
empowerment is a process which enables one to gain power, authority and influence over others.
Empowerment is a multidimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own

1
lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in
their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as
important. Empowerment of women means rearranging gender relations within the family and in
the society. It also means giving societal recognition to gender equality and considering the
contributions of each gender as independent persons. Empowerment of women gives them the
capability of challenging and changing their subordinate position in society. Women are able to
put forward their viewpoint by way of their participation from the beginning of planning process
or a project.

The concept of Self Help Groups serves to underline the principle “for the people, by the people
and of the people”. The Self Help Groups is the brain child of Gamelan Bank of Bangladesh,
which was founded by Prof. Mohammed Yunas of Chittagong University in the year 1975. The
Self Help Groups scheme was introduced in Tamilnadu in 1989.The activism within the women
movement has influenced the government to frame policies and plan for the betterment of the
country. The empowerment of women through Self Help Groups (SHGs) would lead to benefits
not only to the individual women, but also for the family and community as a whole through
collective action for development. Self Help Groups have linkages with NGOs (Non-
Government Organizations) and banks to get finance for development. In turn it will promote the
economy of the country by its contribution to rural economy. Self Help Groups are small
voluntary associations of rural people, preferably women folk from the same socio-economic
background. They come together for the purpose of solving the common problems through self-
help and mutual help in the Self Help Groups

2
1.2 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AT BALCO

BALCO encouraged 1440 women to form 120 Self Help Groups (SHG) in the surrounding
villages. Local NGOs such as the ‘Social Revival Group of Urban Rural & Tribal’ (SROUT)
teamed up with BALCO to organize training workshops for the members of SHGs.

Vedanta which is the parent company of BALCO and owns 51 % share has signed a MoU with
the Ministry of Women and Child Development to construct 4000 Nandghars across India. The
modern Anganwadi has a state of the art infrastructure with digital learning facilities for children
and young women. Skill development initiatives such as stitching, creating marketing linkages,
creating micro enterprises and Self Help Groups (SHGs) will empower women with providing
means of economic independence. Vedanta has also empowered over 32,600 rural women
through the creation of about 1,500 Self Help Groups in the communities, across the locations of
its operations. Today it is continuing to benefit over 32,600 women through CSR initiatives
focused on woman empowerment.

“Vedanta Limited aims to make women self-reliant by implementing skill development,

education, health and sanitation and various income generation activities. Women are imperative
to build social capital of the nation and India’s development is synonymous with their
development,” said Ms. Roma Balwani, President, Group Sustainability & CSR, Vedanta,
adding, “Across our businesses at Vedanta, our gender parity drive endeavor’s to ensure that
broader skillsets and ideas are available within the organization. We have arguably, the highest
number of women in senior management as benchmarked against our peers. Empowering
women is integral to our corporate philosophy, culture and environment.”

Vedanta is a signatory of the ‘CEO Statement of Support' for the United Nations’ Women's
Empowerment Principles (WEP) - ‘Equality Means Business'. WEP are produced and
disseminated by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, the Empowerment of Women
(UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact. Vedanta practices and promotes equal
employment opportunities. The company's Board has 13% representation of women and has set a
target to reach over 20% by 2018

3
 CHAPTER-2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Prof Abraham and P. Mathew, in their article “Why we need women empowerment” have said
that empowerment of women involves three basic issues, firstly it involves empowering women
educationally, secondly it involves empowering women socially, and thirdly it involves
empowering women economically. They believe that empowerment of women is the need of the
hour, but how? They have also talked about ways to empower women which includes, changes
in women’s mobility and social interactions, changes in women’s control over decision making,
providing self-education, self-employment and Self-helpgroups. It is self-help group which is
providing minimum needs like nutrition, Health, sanitation. They also argued about how SHG is
bringing changes in the mentality of society towards women. Empowering women to participate
fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve
internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and improve the quality of life
for women, men, families and communities. They have also brought some insights over changing
roles of women in decision making, power and freedom. SHGs have helped women in bringing
these changes in their lives. But they see Poverty and education as a biggest challenge that check
the process of women empowerment in India. Social norms and family structure in developing
countries like India, manifests and perpetuates the subordinate status of women. The society is
more biased in favor of a male child in respect of education, nutrition and other opportunities
they also argues that these challenges are plaguing the issues of women’s right India. Targeting
these issues will directly benefit empowerment of women in India.

Dr. Kaushal A. Bhatt and Mr. Amit A. Rajdev (2012) in their study “An Analysis of Factors
Empowering Women through Microfinance” stated that SHGs have provided social
opportunitiesto make them aware about these rights, entitlements anddevelopment programmes.
They have analyzed that access to microfinance has given women greater autonomy in
household decisions relating to allocation of resources, savings and investments. They have
viewed SHG as a means of creating a social environment in which one can take decisions and

4
make choices either individually or collectively for social transformation. They see
Empowerment as a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their
own lives, communities and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important.
Empowerment occurs within sociological, psychological, economic spheres and at various
levels, such as individual, group and community and challenges our assumptions about status
quo, asymmetrical power relationship and social dynamics. Empowering women puts the spot
light on education and employment which are an essential element to sustainable development.

According to a report presented by Agarwal, Deepti (2001),”Women need to be viewed not as

beneficiaries but as active participants in the progress of development and change empowerment
of women could be organized into groups for community participation as well as for assertion of
their rights in various, services related to their economic and social well-being. They have argued
in their report that women in the 21st century need not be suppressed under the shackles of
patriarchy , they have the power to bring changes not only in their own lives but also the live of
others as well. They also mentioned SHGs being the highly relevant tool to make the people of
below poverty line hopeful and self-reliant. SHGs enable to increase their income improve their
standard of living and status in society to the main stream ultimately, the nation reaps the
advantages of socialism.

Niaz Hussain Malik and Muhammad Lugman in their article “Impact of micro credit on women
empowerment” have said micro finance and micro-credit programmmes had the potential and
powerful impact on women’s empowerment. According to the authors empowerment is a
complex process of change experienced by all individuals somewhat differently and varied from
culture to culture and hence difficult to achieve. Precisely for this reason, these programme could
not always empower all women, but at the same time most women did experience some degree
of empowerment. Authors have also argued that the microcredit programmmes had both positive
and negative impacts on women's empowerment and eradication of poverty throughout the
world. The positive impacts were enhancement in women's ability to influence family affairs and
decision making; increasing self-confidence; improvement in their status, increased gender
relations in the home, reduction in domestic violence, and improvement in status within the
community and acceleration in economic empowerment. The negative impacts of microcredit
were highly restrictive environment for women along with the increased workload and
responsibilities as a result of their involvement in income generating activities other than their

5
traditional responsibilities. The authors felt that the microcredit programmmes have sufficient
potential to change the age old gender equation and economic development.

Reddy, C.S. and Sandeep Manak in the year 2005, on behalf of Andhra Pradesh Mahila
Abhivruddhi Samakhya studied 400 selected self-help groups in Andhra Pradesh, with the
objective to find out the progress made by SHG in that area concluded that self-help groups are
promising and proving to be an effective method of poverty reduction. The formation of these
groups, which share common-interest, consisting primarily of women has had a substantial
impact on their lives. The impact of women’s empowerment and social security has been
invariably an improvement. . According to them the status of women has generally improved as
they have developed stronger confidence which has changed gender dynamics. Their role in the
household has also changed. In south India, significant improvements in fertility rates, female
literacy, participation in development programmers and economic independence are evident.
Women are able to fight for their rights and entitlements and have emerged as a force to be
reckoned with. Further, SHGs are becoming more than just financial intermediaries. They have
emerged into a more political and social unit of society. However, they felt that the penetration
of microfinance to the poorest of the poor is still weak and needs a wider reach. They have also
identified some key weak areas in the movement, such as financial management, governance and
human resources. They felt that the performance of self-help groups ranges from weak to
average in quality.

Gaiha and Nandhi (2005 and 2007) made two studies on the impact of self-help groups in Pune
district of Maharashtra. They observed that though in terms of income earned by the members
the performance was unsatisfactory, it was better in terms of other indicators of deprivation such
as caste, landlessness and illiteracy. The noteworthy point is that the loans were used largely for
health and education of children and for production-related expenses-especially by the group
members. Though it is difficult to ensure their sustainability, the rates of return on such
investments were high. Savings mobilization through self-help groups was highly effective,
especially “in a context of vulnerability of rural households to a range of idiosyncratic and
covariant risks, and ineffectiveness of informal social networks in protecting them against such
risks. The authors feel that the self-help groups contributed to empowerment. According to them
the domestic violence was also reduced. Though achievement meant longer hours of work, the
experience proved to be more positive and contributory. The authors concluded by saying that, to

6
confine impact assessment of microfinance to conventional economic criteria of rates of return,
and financial sustainability, the impact of microfinance institutions would not be just narrow but
misleading as well. The benefits through women’s empowerment are substantial and reinforce
the case for microfinance through self-help groups on both equity and efficiency considerations.

A study by Anjali Sharma, Bikash Roy and Deepa Chakravorty (2012), focused on the effects of
the SHG strategy on women’s economic activities and possible occupational change. They have
also tried to analyze its impact on asset creation, the degree of participation of women in
decision-making process in domestic issues and group activities. Their study showed that after
joining SHGs women experienced a great change in their attitudes and capacity. About 94.9
percent women had taken decisions on the domestic matters. Women took part in organizational
activities and participated in group discussion. The authors concluded that SHGs not only
mobilize micro- finance and provide micro-credit to the needed members but also provide self-
employment training, awareness programmes, promote the leadership qualities and give
confidence to their members. The SHG activity will empower women. Providing adequate
financial support, guidance to start small business, technical support can uplift their standard of
living. The authors felt that if women can utilize this efficiently, they won’t face poverty. Their
activity will also increase the productivity of the nation resulting in growth of Gross Domestic
Product and per capita income.

A study made by Mahendra Varman (2005) on the impact of Self-help Groups on banking habits
revealed that microfinance SHGs in India inculcate banking habits in rural people, especially the
women. They intentionally or unintentionally help formal banks by increasing the number of
accounts. Analysis of the data collected by the author revealed that being a member in SHGs
and, more importantly, having leadership experience in SHGs greatly influences the bank
account holding. Leadership experience in SHGs would improve an individual's banking habits
much more than simply membership. The author concluded that if the leadership position of each
SHG is systematically rotated over appropriate time, people will have more exposure to formal
banking systems. This will inculcate banking habits at a higher magnitude, thereby enhancing the
advantage of banks in acquiring large numbers of deposit accounts.

7
 CHAPTER-3

INITIATIVES UNDER WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

3.1 ORGANIZATION AND STUDY AREA PROFILE

Balco was incorporated in 1965 as a Public Sector Undertaking. [1] It is the first public sector
enterprise in India which started producing aluminums in 1974. Till 2001, BALCO was a public
sector enterprise owned 100% by Government of India. In 2001, GoI divested 51% equity and
management control in favour of Sterlite Industries India Limited. And since then the Company
has been closely associated with the Indian Aluminium Industry, in a pivotal role.

At Bharat Aluminum Company Limited (BALCO), Corporate Social Responsibility is all about

developing a business model that not only creates economic value but also contributes to a
healthy ecosystem and strong communities. BALCO doesn’t believe in patronage so what they
are doing is through livelihood schemes, they are providing the ample opportunities of livelihood
to urban as well as rural poor.

The main focus of CSR at Balco is to create synergy between the community needs and the
business requirement. 130 villages enveloping Korba, Kwardha, Mainpat and Chotiya are being
covered through BALCO’s Community development initiative. But the intensive engagement
through CSR projects are primarily done in 57 core villages which are in the radius of 0 – 5 Km
as they are immediate impacted by company’s operations.

My study area profile was korba district as the tenure of my research was only of two months
and both the other districts Mainpat, Kwardha, due to the time constraint were not visited by us
due to time constraint.

8
3.2 BALCO INTERVENTION IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH
MICROFINANCE

Bharat Aluminum Company BALCO, under the CSR initiative has started UNNATI programme
in the year 2007 and the implementing agency was AROH and one another project named
DISHA project whose implementing agency is SROUT (Social Revival Group of Urban Rural &
Tribal). On the one hand UNNATI programme deals with SHG formation and on the other hand
DISHA programme which is working in surrounding villages of BALCO to improve the
condition of AWC and holistic development of 0 to 6 year children. Improve the nutrition and
health condition of women and reduce the infant as well as maternal mortality. Promoting youth
education among community members by creating awareness regarding the importance of
education in one’s life, training women in tailoring, beauty parlor courses and other such
livelihood training are being provided to local women so that they can liberate themselves
financially.

3.2.1 INITIATIVES TAKEN BY BALCO IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

a) PROJECT UNNATI

b) PROJECT DISHA

a) PROJECT UNNATI: SHG FORMATION AND CONNECTING THEM WITH

LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES

Project UNNATI aims to empower large number of underprivileged women. Under the program
80 SHGs were given the assistance in variety of skill training and linkages with local markets.
BALCO and AROH joined hands to lay emphasis on creation of self-sustained development
through self-help groups. At first SHGs are chosen as per their performance in record keeping,
saving and monthly meeting after that on the basis of their performance they have been
categorized into four groups which is group A,B,C and D. After their categorization group A
SHGs are being linked with livelihood programmes like mushroom cultivation, rabbit rearing,
vegetable cultivation, holler machine, Dona pattal making machine.

9
Project BALCO – UNNATI aims to empower large number of underprivileged women. Under
the program 80 SHGs were given the assistance in variety of skill training and were linked with
the local market for sustainable returns through different SHG products. BALCO and AROH
joined hands to lay special emphasis on creation of self-sustained development through poor
people institution (SHG) and skills up-gradation of the women and crating required support
systems to ensure unemployed women to take-up self-employment activities & work as rural
entrepreneurs it overall leads to their socio-economic elevation.

AROH Foundation has demonstrated the SHG model in different remote corners of India, the
foundation has been working in vocational training and economic empowerment models for
women and youth for livelihood promotion over the past 12 years. AROH has gained wealth of
knowledge and experience through working with government, PSEs, Corporate and the civil
society organizations to improve the lives and conditions of people at living at the bottom of the
pyramid.Project UNNATI is currently running in all three districts viz Korba, Manipat, and
Kwardha.

SHG Approach

Generally Self-Help Group consists of 10 to 20 women / men. The women / men save some
amount that they can afford. But all the SHGs here which have been formed by BALCO are
homogeneous, meaning all the SHG mainly consist of women only, which is a good thing for
women because if the group will have male members then the chances of domination by them
will be higher like it always has been, and the women voices will remain unheard as always, so
the prime focus behind SHG formation is to give voices to voiceless.

Amount ranging from Rs. 10 to 200 per month, are being saved by each member of that
respective group, a monthly meeting is organized on a regular basis and another meeting by the
AROH foundation people are held to check the functioning of all SHGs, In groups apart from
disbursal & repayment of loan, formal and informal discussions are held on many social issues
also. Women share their experiences in these groups. The minutes of these meetings are

10
documented and the accounts are written during their meetings. The President, Secretary and
Treasurer are three official posts in any SHG.

Guiding Principles for the formation of SHGs:

 Every individual is equal and responsible

 Every individual is committed to the cause of the group

 Decision is based on the principles of consensus

 Savings is the foundation on which to build the group for collective action.

Objectives behind SHG formation-

 Basically the SHGs are economic organization. Small funds are raised for day – to –
needs. The saving groups when transformed to earning groups not only increase the productivity
of women but the credibility also.

 SHG opens door for women to understand their surroundings in better ways,

 As economical solutions are available, the family structure is maintained.

 SHG is a good way to stop the exploitation of consumers.

 develops the self-confidence of women by providing them a platform to speak.

b) PROJECT DISHA

19 months ago, prime minister of India Shri Narendra Modi launched ‘sansadadarshyozna’
where member of parliaments were supposed to adopt a village under their supervision to make
it develop in every sense. BALCO started disha project for the same purpose in the dondro
village. On 10-12-15 ‘Nari Shakti kendra’ was started where 150 people participated. From
tailoring classes, beauty parlor course training, and Computer classes for children studying in
class 6 to 12 along with tuition on other subjects as well are being done through this ‘NariShaki

11
Kendra’. Under this Nari Shakti Kendra the prime focus is to empower women in such a way
that they can be independent on themselves, be confident enough to take decisions which affect
their lives. Training will provide a medium or say way to them to come out from the sea of
poverty. Project duration is of two years, first duration is from August 2015 to July 2016. Before
the implementation of this project survey had been held by the SROUT organization to know the
following status of following indicators of village, such as-

I. Income

II. Access of drinking water

III. Fuel used for cooking

IV. Dropout rates of schooling

V. Sanitation

VI. Status of women SHGs

VII. Status of women in Panchayats and Gram Sabah

VIII. Status of child vaccination, maternal health and common diseases faced by the
community members

IX. Status of Anganwadi center

X Status of Malnutrition

12
 CHAPTER-4

OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The precise purpose of the study is to enhance livelihood understanding of rural target
groups and to develop or modify activities according to the context in which the target groups
live.

The objectives of the present study are as follows-

1. To study the socio-economic background of the women beneficiaries and their family
characteristics.

2. To analyses the income, expenditure and savings pattern of the Self Help Groups members.

3. To find out the benefits through Self Help Group.

4. To find out the problems faced by the members in Self Help Groups.

5. To explore future strategies and to suggest measures for the better management of Self Help
Groups.

13
4.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study used primary data and secondary data for analysis according to the objective set out in
the study.

STUDY AREA

- According to the 2011 census the total population of korba district is 1,206,640. Out of which
63.01% lives in villages. Korba being the center and all the adjacent villages being the periphery
will be my study area.

Universe Size-

Two members from each SHG have been taken regarding the interview schedule. Samples of 5
SHGs from each Grade viz. Grade A to D except from Grade B only 4 SHGs have been taken
due to geographical location of few. The entire sample SHGS are associated with different
livelihood programmmes from rabbit rearing to Dona- pattal making to vegetable cultivation, to
running batches of sewing classes. Few SHGs from the all the grades are still at infant stage
which means they are not into any sort of livelihood generation programmmes.

14
4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

PARAMETERS VARIABLES TOOLS

1. Name
2. Panchayat/Block
 General Information
3. Formation
about the SHG
4. Monthly saving
 Interview Schedule
5. Meetings
6. Credit facilities
7. Activities

1. Name
2. Age
 Socio Economic  Interview Schedule
3. Sex
Condition of the
4. Occupation
Members of SHG
5. Religion
6. Caste
7. Literacy level
8. Type of family
9. Family members

1. Heard of balco
2. Company’s presence in
area

15
 3. Project Unnati knowledge
 Information about the  Company’s report
BALCO  Interview Schedule

1. Changes after joining SHG

2. Self-dependent
3. Satisfied with the interest
rate
 Attitudinal changes  Interview Schedule
4. Increase in monthly saving
5. Access to financial services
6. Participation in social
activities
7. Political awareness

1. Types of Issues  Interview Schedule

2. SHG benefitting working
 Issues related
and living condition or not?
information

16
4.2.1 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

Methods of sampling:

Since the study has to be completed within a specific time frame the study followed purposive
random sampling. The study was conducted in korba district of chattisgarh, as per the grading
done by the BALCO as per the performances of SHG, Samples of 5 SHGs from each Grade viz.
Grade A to D except from Grade B only 4 SHGs have been taken due to the geographical
constraint of few.

4.2.2 SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION:

For the purpose of the study primary as well as secondary sources of data were used.

Primary sources:

 Personal Interview

 Observation

 Focused Group Discussion (FGD)

Personal Interview

To get the view point of an individual on particular topic, one has to take personal interview,
starting with informal talk. At first interviewer gives his introduction and reason for conducting
interview, in this type of interview personal information were first collected and then proceeded
towards the topic concerning to the study and their views regarding the same.

Observation

17
Basically this method has more use of vision for data collection; by the use of the eyes rather
than ear and the voice. The investigator collects the data by being physically present with the
respondent or around them often for the whole day. This helped in analyzing the perceptions and
expectations of the milk producers from the Cooperative Institutions

Focused Group Discussion

All the data cannot be gathered through interview because of limited time, hence this tool served
the purpose. Group discussion with the target groups at different SHG helped us gain an insight
into the problems which were commonly faced by majority of them.

4.2.3 SECONDARY SOURCES

o Balco annual report.

o Sustainable development report of Vedanta Resources
o Balco today
o Websites
o Reports conducted by various scholar on SHG

4.2.4 TOOLS / TECHNIQUES FOR DATA COLLECTION

During the study following tools and techniques were used:-

Tools:

 Interview Schedule

 Direct observation

 Case Studies

18
 Techniques:

 Structured Interview Schedule

In the method of interview the questioned were previously designed and farmed for the
responder. Maximum of open-ended questions were designed.

 Focused Group Discussion

4.3 TIME FRAME

Time schedule of field study in Korba, Chattisgarh

No of days Date Activity

10 days 21-04-2016 to 01-05-2016 Analysis of organization

reports
21 days 01-04-2016 to 21-05-2016 SHG visits

8 days 22-05-2016 to 30-05-2016 Triangulation and

validation of data
12 days 31-05-2016 to 11-06-2016 Preparation and
submission of report
2 days 12-06-2016 to 14-06-2016 Presentation to CSR head
and ADMIN head
4 days 15-06-2016 to 18-06-16 Report submission and
presentation to various

19
 departments
20-06-2016 Departure

CHAPTER-5

FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS

This chapter brings out the relevant findings that were of relevance to the organization
and as well as for the study purpose. The data collected through the Interview Schedule was
evaluated to derive to the findings. The analysis of the finding helped identify the major
indicators reflecting the perceptions of the milk producers and the difficulties faced by them at
the village Cooperative Societies. The finding and its analyses helped to reach to a conclusion
which could list few important suggestions for the organization. This chapter was compiled with
the objective to structure the findings derived through different methodologies used to obtain
relevant data.

5.1 SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF SHG MEMBERS

20
One of the primary benefits of participation in a SHG is the opportunity to save regularly, access
to formal savings institutions and participate in the management of these savings. They save
regularly, have their own bank accounts and make deposits into these accounts. SHG is having a
good impact on members, in their ability to save their hard earned money, three to four SHG
have savings of more than 1,00,000 lakhs at present. Divyajyoti SHG of BHADRAPARA is one
of the best examples of economic empowerment, where all the members have now started a shop
near plant gate B, in which they supply safety, wears to the plant workers at a certain price.
Aradhana SHG has done mushroom farming and the results were satisfactory.

Krishna Singh of sarvamangla SHG has told me during my visit to her SHG that how with the
help of UNNATI FRESH she’s now able to produce vegetables for her household requirements.

So it would be suffice enough to say that in other way by associating with the SHG she can save
her money.

TABLE 1.
CAPACITY AREAS PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF
SHGs SHGs
Unanimous decision 94.11% 28
Regular Savings 94.11% 28
Action on social-issues 5.88% 2
Linkages 100% 30
Inter-lending 94% 28
Unity among members 20.58% 7
Equal Participation of all 58.82% 17
Political Participation 14.70% 4
Awareness about the UNNATI project 58.82% 17
Marketing 8.82% 3

Total number of surveyed SHG= 30

21
The above table depicts that out of 30 SHG , 94% of them have regular savings, which presents a
very good picture on economic point of view. Talking about the social participation only 2% of
SHGs have only taken part in that which shows that awareness about social issues is not there in
SHGs, and of 4 total SHG have taken participation in political camps and fought for local
municipality representation.

5.2 Economic status of SHG(Savings)

The SHG set up at the village level has provided the women a platform to do something of their
own, so that they don’t have to depend on their husbands for every little thing. The members
perceive the SHG as a channel to link their income generating activities with the market, and this
linking is being done by BALCO. The socio- economic condition of the SHG members has been
enhanced by being part of the SHG

Figure 1.1

22
140000 Current savings in Rs

120000

100000

80000

60000 Current savings in Rs

40000

20000

the above picture depicts that the highest saving is of Rs 1,25,000 and the rest are between
20,000-50,000. During my survey I found that many SHG who are not investing the saved
amount for further usages , are distributing the amount among themselves.

23
5.2 Employment status of SHG members

This talks about engagement of SHG members in some other kind of income generating activity
outside the SHG. 72 % of the SHG members are employed in some or other activity and rest
28% of the members are housewives. Out of the total employed women , around 90% of them
are partly employed meaning engaged for some tie of month or year.

Figure 2

Employment index

Employed members
Unemployed members

The above presented picture depicts the employed Vs. non employed status of women. The
employed no of members are more than unemployed which clearly says that women even at
lower levels are not contributing equally to the family.

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5.3 Evolution of SHGs

the SHG formation has started since 2005, some were started by the GoI and many by the
women empowerment programme of BALCO.

Figure3

No of SHGs formed through years

14

12

10

8 No of SHGs formed through

years

0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

25
5.4 weaknesses

There are 9 attributes in which the SHGs asses themselves to be weak or deficient.

Topping the list is the weakness “lack of interest among some members”, presumably

Regarding participating in meetings or other activities of the groups with of the SHGs

Stating this. SHGs have stated that members “lack time to participate in activities”, some said

Groups have the problem of some members lacking responsibility

Similarly, while all SHGs reported themselves to have regular savings, 2 reported that

They have irregular savings, and two SHG reported that they have stopped saving since past four
months. This inconsistency is due to the fact that while most Members make payments on a
regular basis; a few may tend to falter on this aspect.

Certain other weaknesses like lack of confidence in several members of few groups, village
politics, and fear of failing before investing in any livelihood programmes, lack of participation
by all members, etc. are much less prominent. For example people from ‘Sarwamangla’ SHG of
Risda told that once they put money in vermicomposting which turned into a total failure costing

them more than 10,000Rs and that experience is still stopping them from investing in further
livelihood schemes.

The fact that the SHGs members have not hidden their weaknesses shows that they are willing to

Confront issues. It is also strength, and an indication of maturity, to admit weaknesses.

26
Table 1.1
Weaknesses Percentage of SHG Number of SHG
Lack of interest of some members 29.41% 10
Irregularities in savings 5.88% 2
Lack of linkages 0% 0
Lack of cooperation from outside 11.76% 4
Non-repayment of Loans 8.82% 3
Lack of confidence 29.41% 10
Fear of Failure 5.88% 2
Lack of time 50% 17
Lacking money for Livelihood 5.88% 2

The above tables represent the perception of SHG members which came out during the focus
group discussions at SHGs. The above mentioned attributes were highlighted by the members
itself.

27
5.4FIELD EXPERIENCE: OBSERVATION

The questionnaire was long and detailed and required about 20 minutes to complete. Thus
I have to start with my introduction at first to hold the respondent’s attention for that long.
Almost all the respondents were very cooperative and never made me feel like an outsider,
during my whole survey I has been assisted by the field coordinators, all of the visits were
household, it was on an individual basis. At few SHGs like in sarwamangla of dondro village, all
the SHG members were not available due to “TenduPatta” season- women of village here go for
collecting tendu leaves in the month of May-June, earning 100-150 Rs on daily basis. As I was
having one field coordinator with me every time, so even when women were communicating in
Chhattisgarhi (local language of korba) language barrier didn’t arise between us.

28
5.5 SUGGESTIONS

Suggestions to promote Financial Inclusion

 INTRA SHG meetings should be done on a regular basis so that SHGs who are
performing better than others could share their experiences to other SHG groups,
motivating them to do better as well.
 Wherever banks are not accessible or not responsive, BALCO may be prepared to take up
financial intermediation.
 SHG banking may be allowed to function as core banking activity without any outside
interference like target fixing, interest cap, loan size, etc.
 Role transfer within SHG groups should be done more often to avoid the work burden of
few members.

Suggestions for promotion of small and medium enterprises (livelihood

schemes)

To obtain desirable employment transformation and to take full advantage of booming secondary
and Tertiary sectors, BALCO may focus on manufacturing and service sectors. The small and
medium enterprises may be promoted to village, Nagar nigam.

 The potential units could be agro-processing units; milk processing units; common
service providing units; cold storages; rural warehouses.

29
 If banks are non-responsive, the apex financial institutions like state finance corporations/
SIDBI/ NABARD could be accessed.
 Proper monitoring of SHG’s efficiency and effectiveness should be regularly monitored.

CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSION

30
SHG Programme clearly plays a central role in the lives of the poor. The programme in various
blocks all seem to be very successful in reaching poor clients Importantly; there is evidence of
increased household income. This is a very significant indicator of impact. Standard of living for
the program participants have also increased. Microfinance is playing a significant role in
alleviate poverty and rural development. Since women are the sole family caretaker, proper
emphasis should be given to the rural women and for empowering the rural women finance is
required. BALCO through SHG formation has given voice to voiceless.

Joining SHG makes a difference. In addition to the intangible transformation in women’s lives-
of voice- of self-esteem and a widened world- the survey establishes the concrete impact of
BALCO through SHG formation in women’s lives. SHG members tend to be from working class
and castes-OBCs, SCs, STs, few from General caste too.

Despite being more disadvantaged than the general population, SHG members are more
financially dependent. Joining SHG has led to inclusion in formal Financial Sector. All the SHGs
have been linked to banks by BAlCO where each SHG has opened their account and deposit all
the savings of their respective groups.

SHG members faced crisis as often as non-SHG families, but are better equipped to cope. SHG
members are more likely to receive financial support in a crisis(through inter loaning) and are
able to turn for support outside their family and to larger network of support.

BALCO believes that the SHG is critical to ensure that the fruits of growth reach the poor.
Further – financial and livelihood access, social protection, skill development and child care
services are one of the important areas through which BALCO is trying to bring the change in
the lives of SHG members

6.1 REFERENCES
31
 Indian School of Women‘Studies Development (2008), ‗Impact of National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme on the Living and Working Conditions of Women in
Rural India.
 Arjun Y., Pangannavar (2010) "Women SHG Programmes and Rural Poverty: A Micro
Study" Southern Economist, pp47-50

 Chandra P., Parida and AnushreeSinha (2010) "Performance and Sustainability of Self
Help Groups in India: A Gender Perspective" Asian Development Review, Vol.-27(1),
pp80-103.

 Jayaraman R. (2005) "Performance Analysis of Fisherwomen SHGs in Tamilnadu" final

report submitted to NABARD, pp1-63.

 Jayanthi.C “Empowering Women”. Yojana, June 2001

 NABARD Reports 2005 and 2006.

 NABARD (2010) "Status of Micro Finance in India 2009-10”. * Reddy A. (2008) "Self
Help Groups in India- A Catalyst for Women Economic Empowerment and Poverty
Eradication" Paper presented at 33rd Global Conference of ICSW, TOURS (France),
June 30- July 4, 2008, pp1-2

 NABARD Report 2005-2008, status of micro finance in India 2009-10 International

Women's Conference held at Nairobi in the year 1985

32
  Rajammal P. Devadas “Empowerment of Women through SHGs”, 1999

6.2 ANNEXURES

This report is supported by the following annexures:

• The approved questionnaire (English)

• AROH foundation report on Livelihood activities

6.3 QUESTIONNAIRE-

Name of the village:

Panchayat:

Block:

Name of the respondent:

Age:

Sex:

Occupation:

33
Religion:

Caste:

Details of members of the family:

S. NA A S RELA MARITALS LITER OCCUPA

N ME G E TION TATUS ACY TION
O E X LEVE
L

Code-

IV: M = Male, F = Female

VI: M = Married, U = Unmarried

VII: 1 = Illiterate

2 = Primary

3 = Middle

4 = Matriculation

5 = Intermediate

6=Graduation

7=Post Graduation

VIII: A = Financial Problem

34
 B = Lack of interest

C = Lack of motivation

D = Family responsibilities

E = Gender biased

F = No proper education facility around

IX: S = Service

UE = Unemployed

AG = Agriculture

WL = Wage labor

AT = Artisan

= Others

Have you heard of BALCO?

Yes: No:

How did you come to know about it?

Since when has it been working?

35
Is the company doing anything for you in your area?

Yes: No: if yes then specify

Direct Beneficiary –

Indirect Beneficiary –

What are the activities carried out by the company for your benefit?

What are your needs and priorities?

How SHG is helping you to overcome your problems?

How regularly all the meeting takes place within your SHG?

Is credit and inter loaning facilities are availed by all the members?

What changes you feel after joining SHG?

What problems do you face ,either at SHG or at your household level?

Are the activities of the company benefiting your working and the living condition?

36
Yes:

No:

If yes or no then specify

Are you satisfied with the activities of the company for your welfare?

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Unsatisfied

What are your expectations from the company and SHG ?

What are your suggestions?

37
6.4PICTURES

6.4.1

Mushroom training session by BALCO

6.4.2

38
My interaction with GADESH SHG members.

6.4.3 6.4.4

6.4.5

39
Interaction with SHG members

40