Capacity Building and Empowerment of Self Help Groups

Women are the valuable Human Resource and their socio economic development is imperative for sustainable growth of the economy. Yet more often than not, women¿s economic contributions go unrecognized, their work undervalued and their promise unnourished. Unequal opportunities between women and men continue to hamper women¿s ability to lift themselves from poverty and gain more options to improve their lives. But, economically strengthening women who are half the world¿s workforce is not only a means by which to spur economic growth, but also a matter of advancing women's human rights. In Maharashtra there are total 2.20 lakhs number of Self Help Groups out of which only 45, 449 S H G¿s are operational carrying out different economic activities. This is due to the lack of efforts taken to build their capacities and empower them to take decisions. Therefore, we should stress on necessity and highlight the benefits of securing women¿s active participation in all stages of decision making, ensuring them empowerment and capacity building at all levels and their inclusion in devisingstrong gender responsive frameworks.