Micro-Credit and Empowerment- A study of Kudumbashree Projects

Abstract

Poverty alleviation schemes based on micro- credit system have been implemented in many of the developing countries in recent years. The Government of Kera/a State in India has introduced a novel scheme of poverty alleviation based on micro-credit and self-help grouping. Paraphrased as Kudumbashree ('Prosperity of the Family'), the scheme aims at improving the living levels of the poor women in rural and urban areas. It seeks to bring the poor women folk together to form the grassroot organisations to help enhance their economic security. The project aims at removing poverty among rural women households through setting up of micro-credit and productive enterprises. The activities such as micro-credit and micro-enterprises under the scheme were undertaken by the locally formed Community Development Societies comprising poor women.