A Study on the Micro Enterprises Promoted by Kudumbashree and their Marketing Strategies in Malappuram District

The role of micro enterprises in rural development and women empowerment is widely recognized the world over, particularly in developing nations like India. Micro enterprises play a vital role in poverty alleviation and socio-economic development of the poor. Micro enterprises help to bring about equitable and balanced economic development with relatively low amount of capital investment. The Government of Kerala State has introduced a novel scheme of poverty alleviation based on micro-credit and self help grouping. Paraphrased as Kudumbashree (Prosperity of the Family), the scheme aims at improving the living levels of the poor women in rural and urban areas. The project aims at removing poverty among rural women households through setting up of micro-credit and productive enterprises. The activities such as micro-credit and micro-enterprises under the scheme were undertaken by the locally formed Community Development Societies consisting of poor women. The State Poverty Eradication Mission-Kudumbashree-launched by the Government of Kerala in India is a massive poverty eradication programme in contemporary history especially in Malappuram. It has been proven without doubt that women empowerment is the best strategy for poverty eradication. Women, who were regarded as voiceless and powerless started identifying their inner strength, opportunities for growth, and their role in reshaping their own destiny. The process of empowerment becomes the beacon light to their children, their families and the society at large. It opens a new vista the in development history. This paper looks in to the role of micro enterprises functioning under Kudumbashree in the economic development of Malappuram district and their marketing strategies.