Empowering women socioeconomic upliftment through self-help groups: The role of Information Technology

Abstract

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in India are making important contributions to poverty eradication by providing services to disadvantaged rural women, who make up a sizable proportion of its membership. These organizations are strongly committed to eradicating poverty in the country and work at the grassroots level. By giving women specialised savings and loan options that meet their needs, this mechanism seeks to empower women to generate their own income and become financially independent by reducing their dependency on neighbourhood moneylenders in rural areas. In India, Self-Help Groups are primarily made up of low-income rural women who use the financial facilities the group offers them to meet their basic requirements and to start businesses that generate money, thus improving their socioeconomic standing. Based on an empirical study that was conducted, the current paper aims to investigate and evaluate into two areas that are (i) potential, function, scope, and limitations of ICT in improving the effectiveness of SHG’s operations in India. (ii) effect of SHGs on rural women in the political, social, and economic domains. A survey of 388 participants from four blocks in Lucknow district. The research findings show that women have increased their social authority and economic efficiency, yet there is still potential for improvement in terms of political empowerment. SHG members have significantly enhanced their confidence and autonomy in making choices.