Resource detail

Title: SHG-bank linkage: a success story
Organization:World Bank
Author:Kumar, Shantanu., Pinto, Alreena Renita., Arora, Amit., Roy, Sourav
Source:World Bank
Year:2020

The rural impoverished must have access to credit that is both timely and affordable in order to invest in livelihood opportunities and alleviate high-cost debt. The financial inclusion of the rural poor has been impeded by a multitude of obstacles, despite the government of India's (GOI) best efforts. In 1989, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) initiated the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP) as an action research initiative. Subsequently, it was formalized as a pilot project in 1992. The pilot initiative was designed as a collaboration between SHGs, banks, and NGOs. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) permitted banks to lend directly to SHGs, while NABARD committed to providing re-finance and promotional support. Since 2013-2014, the SHGs have effectively leveraged approximately forty-one billion US dollars in loans from banks. Interventions at the field level, advocacy with the RBI, digital financial services (DFS), and Indian Banks Association (IBA), and interventions have led to exceptional growth in the SHG-Bank linkage credit portfolio. This report provides a concise summary of the primary results.




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