Micro Finance and Women Empowerment in Rural Assam

Microfinance is considered to be a key strategy for addressing issues of poverty alleviation and women empowerment. The empowerment of women through microfinance with SHGswould give benefits not only to the individual women but also for the family and communityas a whole through collective action for development. Microfinance has been recognized world over as one of the new development paradigms for alleviating poverty through social and economic empowerment of the poor particularly women. Microfinance encouraged many researchers all over the world to rethink about the concept of financial inclusion of themarginalized people, especially women, who were thought to be unthinkable. But in present days the economists are expressing concerns about the market oriented nature of the micro finance institutions in India. Microfinance programs have significant potential forcontributing to women's economic, social and political empowerment. Access to savings and credit can initiate or strengthen a series of interlinked and mutually reinforcing 'virtuous spirals' of empowerment. Microfinance programs have significant potential for contributing to women's economic, social and political empowerment. The paper focuses on the conceptual aspect of microfinance and Self Help Groups (SHGs) and analyze the of role SHGs towards women empowerment in the rural Economy of Assam. The North-East Region remains a classic case of financial exclusion. Micro credit facility has become very much helpful for thewomen workers mainly in the unorganized sector in the North East India. . A number of agencies- Government as well as Non- Government Organizations-(NGOs) are, todayinvolved in micro-finance development initiatives. The microfinance-SHGs have a greatbearing on women empowerment. It has becomea ladder for the poor, particularly the women to bring them up not only economically but also socially, mentally, politically, educationallyand attitudinally