Dynamics of Rural Poverty: Role of Women's Self-Help Groups in Kalahandi District (Odisha)
| Author | Gadadhara Mohapatra |
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556120150108 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DYNAMICS
OF
RURAL POVERTY:
ROLE
OF
WOMEN'S
SELF-HELP GROUPS IN KALAHANDI
DISTRICT (ODISHA)
GADADHARA MOHAPATRA
The article critically analyses the role
of
women
self-help
groups (WSHGs) in alleviating
poverty
and
empowering the
tribal women in Kalahandi district
of
Odisha
based
on the
field
findings,
ground
realities
and
observations. ·It also documents
the
best
practices
of
the NGOs
and
other self-help
promoting
institutions
(SHP/s)
in
social
mobilisation
and
poverty
alleviation.
T'he
study shows that intensity
of
social capital (in
the form
of
trust relating to credit
and
savings activities) is
more among the SHGs which are homogeneous in nature (i.e.
SHGs comprising
of
all
Kondh/STwomen
members); whereas
social capital is on the decline among the
mixed
and/or diverse
groups in the sample villages (for example SHGs consisting
of
both
ST
and
SC
and
male
and
female
members). The empirical
findings
of
the study
show
that
the group savings
of
the various
WSHGs promoted
by
the NGOs
and
SHP!s (namely, Parivartan,
Gram Vikas, Antodaya
and
Sahabhagi Vikas Abhiyan,
/CDS
and
Watershed Department, Government
of
Odis ha) in T'huamul
Rampur
block
of
Kalahandi have increased gradually;
and
also
shows that after
SHG
intervention, dependency
of
the tribal
villagers on the local
money
lenders
for
loan
have
declined
signifi.cantly.
INTRODUCTION
WHILE MAKING his first visit to Odisha in 1921, Gandhiji described
"Odisha as an epitome
of
India's poverty". He wrote on Odisha's poverty in
the Harijan in March 1921. What Gandhiji said regarding Odisha
's
poverty
in those days, is true today even after 65 years
of
India's independence.
Post-independence scenario
of
Odisha
is
a total disappointing one. Ironically,
fact to state that Odisha is a rich state in natural resources but it is today
the poorest state in the Indian federal system (Rout, 2007 :210). The phrase
DYNAMICS
OF
RURAL
POVERTY:
ROLE
OF
WOMEN'S
SELF-HELP
GROUPS
/ I
IS
GADADHARA
MOHAPATRA
'poverty amidst plenty' sounds appropriate here. According
to
the
Odisha
Human
Development Report, 'poverty in Odisha
is
overwhelmingly a rural
phenomenon (OHDR, 2004:21). There is wide regional, social and gender
disparities which are the outcome oflong-term neglect
of
depressed regions
and
'entitlement failures' for the marginalised sections including Scheduled
Tribes and Scheduled Castes (OdishaAnnual Plan 2014-15:27). One
of
the
primary objectives
of
the Government
of
Odisha
is
to
"achieve all-round
development, transforming Odisha into
one
of
the most prosperous states
along with complete development
of
women, children and under-developed
classes" (Biju Janata Dal [BID] Manifesto, 2009).
The
goal
of
inclusion
is
by
no
means
peculiar
to
the state
of
Odisha (Soumya Kapoor,
2011:
1
).
Over the years, though there
is
political stability in terms
of
the regional
party
of
Biju Janata Dal holding its base in the state, the state has been
witnessing left wing extremist activities in different parts
of
the districts.
Realising that the extremist problem in the state could be tackled both
on security and development fronts,
the
state
has
initiated three-pronged
strategy such
as
security measures
in
terms
of
deploying security force in
the
affected areas; accelerating the development process and improving the
accessibility
to
the affected areas
in
order
to
bring them
to
the mainstream
of
development process.
Kalahandi district in Odisha has been considered
as
one
of
the most
backward regions
of
the country. Kalahandi has witnessed a large number
of
droughts and other natural calamities over centuries (DHDR, Kalahandi
2012:4). The economic and social impacts
of
these droughts on the people
of
Kalahandi have been very severe.
The
Directorate
of
Economics and
Statistics, Odisha has analysed the rainfall
of
South Western Kalahandi
and has reported that
on
an
average there
is
a drought year in every three
to
four years.
In
recent years flash floods due
to
heavy rainfall have become a
common occurrence. The district has been severely affected due
to
severe
floods
during the last ten years. Thirteen floods occurred in different parts
of
the district from 2000-2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007(DHDR-Kalahandi,
2012:
118-19). Kalahandi district has a very high incidence
of
poverty with
87.10 per cent living below the poverty line
in
1999-2000
as
per the
55'h
round
of
NSS
estimations.
As
per the Ministry
of
Rural Development's
methodology for identification
of
BPL households, Kalahandi reported
62.71
per cent families below
the
poverty line
in
the
1997
BPL census.
Even though it
is
richly endowed with natural resources, Kalahandi has
in
the recent past attracted adverse publicity for alleged starvation deaths,
heavy incidence
of
poverty and poor development (ibid.16).
As
per the
estimates
of
DHDR
(2011)
about 76.59 per cent households ofKalahandi
have monthly incomes ofless than Rs.500. About 32.4 7 per cent households
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