**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Rural Development addresses a question regarding the review of Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) performance and their contribution to women's empowerment. While there is no specific proposal for a review, regular assessments are conducted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) through various mechanisms, including studies by third-party organizations. Several studies conducted between 2019 and 2025 provide key findings on the impact of SHGs.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Ongoing Assessment under DAY-NRLM:**
* Regular periodic reviews and assessments of Women SHGs performance and contribution to women empowerment are carried out.
* Methods include Performance Review Committee (PRC) meetings, reviews with State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs), Management Information System (MIS) data monitoring, field visits by National Level Monitors, and third-party evaluations.
* **Evaluation Study of DAY-NRLM (2019-20) by 3ie:**
* Income Enhancement: Women SHGs in treatment areas experienced a 19% increase in income.
* Formalization of Credit: Reliance on informal loans decreased by 20%.
* Savings Growth: Participants reported a 28% increase in savings.
* Workforce Participation: Labour force engagement rose, with a 4% higher proportion of females reporting secondary occupations.
* Access to Social Schemes: There was a 6.5% rise in the number of social welfare schemes availed by treatment households.
* **Study on Mahila Kisan Livelihood Enhancement (2024-25) by DRS:**
* Socio-Economic empowerment of Mahila Kisans: Increased confidence (48%), improved decision-making and reduced labor costs (32%), enhanced agricultural knowledge (40%), and higher grain yields (52%).
* Increase in annual income, with 18% of participating households reporting gains of over additional 7% additional increase in annual income.
* **Evaluation of the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) (2024) by DRS:**
* Empowering women through SVEP: 71% of the enterprises are women-owned.
* About 35% of entrepreneurs were not engaged in any income-generating activity prior to SVEP, and approximately 74% of these enterprises have now become the primary source of household income.
* **Study on the Business Correspondents (BC) Sakhi Model (2023):**
* 45% of BC Sakhis have transitioned into DigiPay Sakhis.
* Over 61% of BC Sakhis rely solely on the income generated from their role as banking correspondents.
* BC Sakhis who rely exclusively on their role as BC agents tend to earn more from this activity than those who diversify their income sources.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs):**
* *Impact:* SHGs benefit from ongoing assessments and evaluations aimed at understanding and enhancing their performance and contribution to women's empowerment. The findings of these studies directly inform policy and program improvements.
* *Action Required:* Continue participating in reviews, surveys, and providing data to support ongoing assessment efforts.
* **Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD):**
* *Impact:* MoRD utilizes the findings from assessments and evaluations to inform policy decisions, improve program implementation, and ensure effective allocation of resources for women's empowerment initiatives.
* *Action Required:* Continue commissioning and utilizing studies, reviews, and monitoring data to refine and improve the DAY-NRLM and related programs.
* **State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs):**
* *Impact:* SRLMs are key partners in the implementation and monitoring of DAY-NRLM. Reviews and assessments provide them with insights into the performance of SHGs within their respective states, enabling them to tailor their strategies and interventions accordingly.
* *Action Required:* Actively participate in reviews and PRC meetings, provide accurate data, and implement program improvements based on assessment findings.
* **Mahila Kisans:**
* *Impact:* The program helped increase confidence, improved decision making, reduced labor costs, enhanced agricultural knowledge, and higher grain yields.
* *Action Required:* Continued engagement with livelihoods programmes.
* **BC Sakhis:**
* *Impact:* The program increased their ability to deliver digital financial services and the primary source of household income.
* *Action Required:* Continue to expand capabilities in delivering digital financial services.
Key Entities Referenced
DeendayalAntyodayaYojanaNational Rural Livelihoods Mission DAYNRLM: A Government of India program under which regular periodic reviews of Women SelfHelp Groups SHGs are carried out.
Women SelfHelp Groups SHGs: A group of women that the Government reviews to assess their contribution in women empowerment.
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation 3ie: An organization that conducted an evaluation study of DAYNRLM during 2019-20.
Bihar: A state in India where the evaluation study of DAYNRLM was conducted.
West Bengal: A state in India where the evaluation study of DAYNRLM was conducted.
Odisha: A state in India where the evaluation study of DAYNRLM was conducted.
StartUp Village Entrepreneurship Programme SVEP: A program for which an evaluation was conducted by Development Research Services P Ltd DRS in 2024.
Business Correspondents BC Sakhi: A model commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development MoRD in 2023 to analyse its implementation, training and deployment processes.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2639
ANSWERED ON 05/08/2025
REVIEW PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN SELF-HELP GROUPS
2639. Dr. GanapathyRajkumar P:
ThiruThangaTamilselvan:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has any proposal to review the
Performance of Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and
Assesment of their Contribution in Women Empowerment in the
country;
(b) if so, the outcome thereof; and
(c) if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI)
(a) & (b): There is no proposal to review and assess the
performance and contribution of Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
However, under DeendayalAntyodayaYojana–National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY–NRLM), regular periodic reviews of the
performance of Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and assessments of
their contribution in women empowerment, in the country, are
carried out through Performance Review Committee (PRC)
Meetings, Reviews with State Rural Livelihood Missions
(SRLMs), Monitoring through Management Information System
data, Field Visits by National Level Monitors and Assessment and
evaluation of the schemes through independent third-party research
organizations.
In addition, following assessment and evaluation studies have
been carried out to understand the contribution of SHGs and
outcomes of DAY-NRLM in the country.
1. An evaluation study of DAY-NRLM was conducted during 2019-
20 by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie),
Page 1 of 3across Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar
Pradesh. The key findings of the study include:
Income Enhancement: Women SHGs in treatment areas
experienced a 19% increase in income over the baseline.
Formalization of Credit: There was a 20% decline in reliance
on informal loans, indicating improved access to formal
financial services.
Savings Growth: Participants reported a 28% increase in
savings, reflecting stronger financial resilience and resource
management.
Workforce Participation: Labour force engagement rose
significantly, with a 4% higher proportion of females reporting
secondary occupations in treatment areas, compared to
control areas.
Access to Social Schemes: There was a 6.5% rise in the
number of social welfare schemes availed by treatment
households (compared to a base of 2.8 schemes),
demonstrating improved awareness and reach of public
welfare programs.
2. A study to understand the Status of MahilaKisan in Enhancing
their Livelihood Activities, conducted by Development &
Research Services (P) Ltd (DRS) in 2024-25 in six states
(Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Kerala, Uttar Pradesh) from different regions of the country.
The key findings of the study include:
Socio-Economic empowerment of MahilaKisans: Among
MahilaKisans, the reported benefits of the programme include
increased confidence (48%), improved decision-making and
reduced labour costs (32%), enhanced agricultural knowledge
(40%), and higher grain yields (52%). Additionally, the
programme contributed to an increase in annual income, with
18% of participating households reporting gains of over
additional 7% additional increase in annual income.
3. An evaluation of the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship
Programme (SVEP) was conducted by Development &
Page 2 of 3Research Services (P) Ltd (DRS) in 2024. The key findings of
study include:
Empowering women through SVEP: A remarkable achievement
of the programme is its strong focus on promoting women’s
entrepreneurship—71% of the enterprises are women-owned—
along with its role in generating employment opportunities in
rural areas. About 35% of entrepreneurs were not engaged in
any income-generating activity prior to starting their SVEP-
supported enterprises, and approximately 74% of these
enterprises have now become the primary source of household
income.
4. Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) commissioned a study
on the effectiveness of the Business Correspondents (BC)
Sakhi model in 2023, which aimed to provide a comprehensive
analysis of the model by examining its implementation
architecture, training and deployment processes, the services
delivered, and its impact on both the banking ecosystem and
rural communities. The key findings of study include:
The study found that 45% of BC Sakhis have transitioned into
Digi-Pay Sakhis, thereby expanding their capabilities in
delivering digital financial services. An interesting trend has
emerged regarding the relationship between BC Sakhis’
income levels and their entrepreneurial engagement. Over 61%
of BC Sakhis rely solely on the income generated from their
role as banking correspondents. BC Sakhis who rely
exclusively on their role as BC agents tend to earn more from
this activity than those who diversify their income sources.
These outcomes give a data-backed proof of the Government’s
commitment to empowering women economically and socially
through sustained & effective support under the DAY-NRLM
programme.
(c): Does not arise.
*****
Page 3 of 3