Posts Tagged ‘Micro Finance’

Micro Loan Role In India

The role of Micro loans in India: A boon

Most people have heard of Micro finance and micro loans in India, but very few actually give serious thought to it. The truth is that micro loans have changed the way the rural community lives. Once upon a time, someone from a low- income background without any verifiable credit history couldn’t dream of getting a loan fro a bank, but due to government initiative the person can have access to a micro loan without any collateral. Poor disadvantaged people can now set up small cottage industries and earn a decent living for themselves and their families. That is the case in Krishnakari in Tamil Nadu.

With the help of the Mahalir Sangam, a Self Help Group initiative by the state and central government, the economic condition of the people of Krishnakari is changing. Many SHG’s have been formed with the help of the money got from micro loans and poor women and men are earning a livelihood as employees. One such success story is of an SHG which sells ‘Chapatis’. With a micro loan of Rs 22,000 from a Micro Financing Institution (MFI), this SHG started a smart Chapati- making service. They even bagged an order for making 3000 Chapatis for TVS employees everyday. The SHG has not only repaid the micro loan fully, but are making a decent profit as well.

The role that micro loans in India have played is truly commendable. As awareness about micro loans grow, so does the rural economy.

How Micro Loans Help Low-Income Families

Micro loans: A helping hand to low- income families in India

With roughly 1.2 billion people in India living below the poverty line, it is no wonder that government initiatives for poverty alleviation became a serious concern to be considered in the 90’s of the last century. After a lot of thought, it was decided that micro loans would be made available according to the commendable example set by the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. Micro loans are easily available, do not require a collateral or verified credit history and were available in amounts varying from a few hundreds to a lakh rupees.

Micro loans are meant to be a helping hand for low- income families. They were mainly meant for women, though a lot of men have enjoyed their benefits. A micro loan is usually given out because it is expected that the borrower will use it as capital investment for starting a small scale business, preferably employing a few other people as well. Self Help Groups (SHG’s) were linked to the mainstream banking system through micro loans in India. There are options for multiple micro loans as well.

The concept of micro loans in India is such that low- income persons who would otherwise have not been eligible for a loan from a normal bank or financial institution for setting up a business can take advantage of. With more than 2.5 million SHG’s in India started with the money got from micro loans, micro finance has truly achieved what it set out to.