(Degendering) From Orthodoxy towards Economic Empowerment of Women - An analysis on SHGs Contribution in Andhra Pradesh

The Government of India has long been emphasizing on the development of women and derived several measures to empower them economically, politically and socially. Initially it was the lack of system and credit availability to cater to the needs of rural poor was a crucial problem for the government. The formation of SHG and micro credit facility has helped the women to move from passive state to being dynamic agents who work for their own development.This study looks into the SHG programme and its impact on economic empowerment. This study in particular adresses women empowerment through self help groups in kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Average, Percentage analysis,Chi-square test and Analysis of Variance post-hoc tests were carried out to determine the relationship between obderved variables. The results of the study revealed that the SHGs have had greater impact on the economic aspects of the beneficiaries.