author(s)
Balbir Singh

abstract
The Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage Programme, built under NABARD and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, has changed how women in rural India use credit and collective voice. This paper looks at what that change means in everyday life income, decision-making, and a sense of participation that reaches beyond the household. Using NABARD’s 2024 data and evaluations from the World Bank and 3ie, the study traces how group savings and credit cycles build economic footing and, slowly, confidence. On average, SHG members report household income gains of around one-third and clearer control over spending priorities (Raghunathan et al., 2023; Kumar et al., 2021). In Bihar’s JEEViKA project, for instance, women began small enterprises and joined local meetings more often (Gupta et al., 2019) [3]. Yet progress is uneven. Southern states keep groups stable; others face leadership capture, weak training, and fading motivation (EDA & APMAS, 2006; Sa-Dhan, 2025). Real empowerment, the evidence suggests, still depends on steady capacity building and transparent support rather than credit alone.