National rural livelihood mission’s (NRLM) grassroots empowerment: Examining the functioning and constraints of self help groups and their federations in Punjab Singh Sukhvir*, Kumar Sanjay, Singh Jasdev Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India *Corresponding author email: singhsukhvir4942@gmail.com
Online Published on 26 February, 2024. Abstract The study, conducted in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, for the reference year 2022-23, investigated the operations and limitations of stakeholders in the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). Employing a multi-stage sampling technique, the research focused on two Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), four Village Level Organizations (VLOs), and 20 Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The study’s results highlighted the pivotal roles of CLFs and VLOs in mobilizing households into SHGs, facilitating credit access, providing training, and fostering entrepreneurship. The study emphasised support mechanisms such as Community Investment Funds (CIF) and Revolving Funds (RF) for SHGs’ financial management and explored diverse training programs, empowering rural communities and enabling SHGs in economic activities. Examining borrowing and saving patterns, it underscored SHGs’ financial responsibility and delved into distinctive procurement and marketing strategies, emphasizing local engagement for community-driven development. Finally, the study identifies implementation challenges in NRLM, including inadequate financing, limited market access, insufficient training, and family cooperation issues. Additionally, the study proposes a policy strategy for NRLM enhancement prioritizes community empowerment, sustainable rural development, streamlined loans, strengthened financial resources, digital literacy, and increased government engagement. Top Keywords Functioning, Constraints, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Self Help Groups, Cluster Level Federations, Village Level Organizations. Top |