Study on the Features of Women Empowerment through SHGS (Self-Help Group) with Reference to Medziphema R.D Block of Nagaland

Women though nearly equal to men in population, is generally treated as the second citizen and subordinate to men. Women empowerment is a global issue, which has gained momentum in recent decades all over the world. Though various efforts are being made to improve the status of women, women folk still remain backward. In almost all countries, the governments are providing special provisions for women, made to extract maximum use of women�s talent. To wage a direct war against poverty and to ensure full participation of women, the government has introduced self-help group programmes as an innovative and dynamic anti-poverty programmes. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the main initiator of �Self-Help Group� (SHG) movement from 1986 � 87 in India. The empowerment of women was the main objective for the formation of SHG. SHGs are essential and perhaps the only alternative to reduce drudgeries and to solve socio-economic problems of rural women. SHGs have the power to create a socio-economic revolution in the rural areas of our country. Recently, many National and International NGOs have come forward with projects for formation and strengthening of SHGs in India.