Paper Title
Analyzing the Impact of Financial Inclusion through Self Help Groups on Urban Poor in Selected Cities of Saurashtra
Abstract
Financial Inclusion was the core mission of the Prime Minister when he declared Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana on 68th Independence Day, extending banking activities, insurance and credit to the excluded. Financial Inclusion aimed to ensure at least two bank accounts for the poor, offering micro insurance and formal credit. RBI also defines Financial Inclusion as the process of ensuring access of financial products and services to the poor at an affordable cost so as to include them to the formal financial system. Out of several approaches adopted by the RBI and NABARD, one of the most effective tool was creation of Self Help Groups, formally known as Sakhimandals, which aimed to included poor women in the formal financial system by creation of a group of members with similar social and educational background, with an objective to carry out an economic activity or saving a small amount on regular basis and using the amount towards their economical upliftment. In this study, the impact of Financial Inclusion is measured on social as well as economical status of the women, who are included financially with the membership of Self Help Groups.
Index Terms - Bank Account, Financial Inclusion, Self Help Groups, Socio-Economic Background