LIVELIHOODS STATUS OF RURAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SELF HELP GROUPS IN KEERAPALAYAM BLOCK, CUDDALORE DISTRICT

The most important social innovation to help the poor in recent years has been the success of the thrift and credit based self help groups (SHG), especially those formed by women. These groups assisted by NGOs have successfully developed a system of revolving credit for the benefit of group members based on their own savings. SHGs have successfully maintained in high rate if loan repayments and successfully generated additional income, jobs, and small enterprises for their members. The first national conference of women entrepreneurs held at New Delhi in November 1981 advocated the need for developing women entrepreneurs for the overall development of the country. It called for priority to women in allotment of Land. Sanction of power, Licensing etc… the second international conference of women entrepreneurs organized by the National Alliance of young entrepreneurs (NAYE) held in 1989 at New Delhi. Entrepreneurship development among women can be considered a possible approach to economic empowerment of women. Human resources and technology are the two important factors of growth in new economic order. To activate these two factors like livelihoods and require rural entrepreneurship development in a big way in an economy. Women’s entrepreneurship has become an important aspect of the changed Indian economic. The participation of women in different innovative business undertakings has empowered them in the social, economic and cultural arena specifically, economists, social workers and social scientists have studied rural women and entrepreneurship in India at various levels