Abstract:
This study explores the functioning of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in rural Madhya Pradesh, focusing
specifically on the working conditions of SHG members and Community Resource Persons (CRPs) under
the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) using the lens of
intersectionality and empowerment. DAY-NRLM is a program sponsored by the Central government in
India which aims to create institutional platforms for the rural poor and enable them to increase their
household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial
services. This study uses a combination of empowerment frameworks to analyze the functioning and
success of SHGs within the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, the contextual factors affecting it, and its
impact on the lives of members. Additionally, the study also explores the specific impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the lives of SHG members and CRPs, with a focus on the effect of the pandemic on their
work responsibilities and formal and informal support mechanisms.
SHGs are constituted on the concept of working and growing together and often,ten to twelve women
from a village, having similar socio-economic backgrounds, come together to form an SHG. These SHGs
This study addresses a significant research gap in the lives of SHG members within communities as well
as the contribution of CRPs to the National Rural Livelihood Mission. The study explores the operational
concepts of power and choice that inform the concept of empowerment within these frameworks, to
understand the exercising of agency of the SHG members. Drawing from Kabeer (1999), the larger
frame looks at empowerment in the agency, resources, and achievements framework.
