Abstract

 
 Development is a multi-dimensional process that affects society in multiple ways. It is well documented that women constitute about half of the world's population but their share in the economy and other development spheres remain neglected. In addition, this large section of population (including Indian women) have been suffering from various disadvantages - lack of accessibility to resources, non-recognition of their economic contribution within the family and society. In order to resolve these emerging challenges, Government of India (GOI) has implemented various programmes and policies since Independence. Among these programmes, Self Help Groups (SHGs) may be considered as a significant initiative of the government as well as the non-governmental organisations (NGOs). These are based on the principle of democratic process of development. The democratic institution provides a platform to the socially and economically deprived sections and encourages them for economic participation. Since the 1970s, SHGs have been working in many states of India and contributing to the development processes. The present paper is an attempt to analyse the contribution of SHGs in women's development in the district of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The impact of these groups on women's development has been analysed by Gender Development Index (GDI), which focused on the male-female differences in terms of longevity of life, knowledge and economic betterment.
 Key words: Development, Self Help Groups, Women in Development, Varanasi, India
 
Highlights
There is a large literature on the impact of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and the collective strengthening of the communities living in poverty (Banerjee, 2009; Desai and Joshi, 2013; Narasaiah, 2008; Sinha, 2008; Sreeramulu, 2006; Sugunu, 2011)
The key objective of this paper is to explore the impact of SHGs on the development of women in Varanasi district
The obtained value unfolds that the malefemale gap in expectancy of life more than 40 years is highest in the Varanasi city area, which is 16 years, followed by Harahua (9 years) and Sevapuri (8 years) while this is lowest in the Pindra block (4 years)
Summary
There is a large literature on the impact of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and the collective strengthening of the communities living in poverty (Banerjee, 2009; Desai and Joshi, 2013; Narasaiah, 2008; Sinha, 2008; Sreeramulu, 2006; Sugunu, 2011). Amartya Sen (1998) has put forward this on-going welfare approach to development as tools of social justice and observed human development as enhancing the capabilities, freedom and rights of individuals, rather than the richness of economy Against these backdrops, the present paper is an attempt to examine the impact of SHGs on women’s development in Varanasi, a holy city located on the banks of the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. Contemporary development studies focus its attention on gender equality, which tries to find out a way for an alternative model for sociocultural progress This emerging dimension in development strategy redefines the policies and paradigms and prepares the ground for reorienting our research in social sciences that can fulfil the aspirations of the different social hierarchies of our society. Various studies on SHGs and women’s development provided inputs about the significance of the approach to gender equality, especially for those women who are engaged in unorganised economic activities. With the establishment of National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) in the 1990s, the concept of SHGs has come into existence and has been successful in the development of women
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