MAHALIR THITTAM

Mahalir Thittam is a socio-economic empowerment programme for women being implemented by Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd.

The SHG approach was started in a small way in Dharmapuri district in the year 1989 with the assistance of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Following the success of the IFAD project, Mahalir Thittam project was launched with State Government funding from 1997-1998 and was progressively introduced in all districts of the State.

The Self Help Group movement which was started in a small way in Dharmapuri District in the year 1989, has now grown into a mammoth movement covering all districts of the State targeting poor families and the marginalised sections of the society. In Pudukottai district MAHALIR THITTAM is functioning since 1998-1999.

Central Government and State Government is implementing many schemes to eradicate poverty. Government of India has launched a new scheme called National Rural Livelihood Mission by restructuring the existing SGSY scheme. This scheme is being implemented from 2011-12 in national level.

The Government of Tamil Nadu is implementing a special scheme called   Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission from the year 2012-13. All district is implementing this scheme except Chennai. The objectives of TNSRLM is to build strong and vibrant institutional platforms of the poor in the rural areas which enable them to increase their household incomes through livelihood enhancements and access to financial and other services. Under this scheme the target group comprising of poor and vulnerable section of the community. The target people are organized into active Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities. 

Self Help Group (SHG) is a group of 12 to 20 women of the same socio-economic background in the age group of 18 to 60 who come forward voluntarily to work together for their own upliftment and the society’s development.The unique feature of the SHG is its ability to inculcate among its members sound habits of thrift, savings and banking
 
Regular savings, periodic meetings, compulsory attendance, and systematic training are the salient features of the SHG concept. Each group selects one animator and two representatives from among themselves. The animator is responsible for providing leadership to the group and to maintain the various registers. The representatives assist the animator and maintain the bank accounts of the group. Under TNSRLM SHG is being formed for the left out poor & Physically Challenged people. SHG is one of the community based organizations.

Banks to extend repeat doses of credit to SHGs to enable members access higher amounts of credit, stabilize their livelihood & improve quality of life

With a view to provide access to credit at affordable rate of interest to the rural poor and make their investments more viable, NRLM would provide interest subsidy. It would be the difference between the interest charged by the bank and 7% per annum, on all loans from main stream financial institutions to SHGs, who are regular in loan repayment.

The Panchayat Level Federation provides a common platform for the SHGs to share their experiences and to voice their problems. The PLF can help achieve what individual SHGs cannot, by pooling in their talents and resources and exploiting economies of scale both in production and marketing. They can also guide and monitor the functioning of SHGs in a Village Panchayat and also form and train new SHGs. Strengthening PLFs is the key to achieving sustainability of the SHG movement in the long run.

The Government have taken various initiatives such as providing seed money, instituting awards to best PLFs and capacity building of office bearers of PLFs . The Government have ordered restructuring of PLFs with the objective of making them more inclusive, transparent and participatory and also to improve their governance and sustainability.

In order to accord legal status to the PLFs and facilitate them to access Bank Credit the Government have ordered to register all PLFs under Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. The Government have also vide G.O.Ms.No:111 Commercial Taxes and Registration (M1) Department, dated 17.11.2008 exempted the PLFs from the purview of Section 25 and 42 of Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act 1975. This exemption has provided an institutional framework for PLFs to take up income generation activities and benefit from them.

Village Poverty Reduction Committee is formed in all Village Panchayat to reduce the poverty level by doing poverty reduction programme. It is a community based organization formed by the poor people for their upliftment with the approval of Grama Sabha. Members must be 10 to 20 with all representation to take collective decision. Panchayat President will be the honorary President and the members must be in Participatory Identification of Poor list.

TNSRLM is a people movement, so the duty of the people must monitor the activities and fund utilization as per the guiding principle of it. In each village panchayat One SAC formed separately for TNSRLM.

Every year awards are being given in District, State and National level to the best SHG and PLF to motivate for effective functioning and to create a best model in the society.

For the effective function of newly formed Self help group Rs.15,000/- is releasing from VPRC fund for the six months completed and successful completion of grading process. It can be used as their corpus fund to avail bank loan for their economic activity.

Physically Challenged and Vulnerable people is being assisted from the VPRC fund to do small activity to run their day today life and to save for their future life. Rs.5,000 to 15,000 will be provided based on their repay capacity. 7% interest is collected for this Individual Assistance.

Self help group is being assisted by releasing Rs.50,000 to start new income generation activities. Members can make use of this fund for their economic activity. 12% Intrest is being collected from the members.

DDU-GKY Scheme is being implemented since 2014-15. All kinds of training is provided to the youth in the age group of 18 to 35 one set of uniform for three month training programme, two set of uniform for six month training programme given with rupees hundred per day stipend given, national level certificate is issued after conducting examination. If the candidate works within the district Rs. 1000 will be provided for 3 months, if he works outside district Rs.1000 will be provided for 6 month.

During the year 2016-17 this scheme was modified with stipend increased from Rs.100 to 125 and standard of the institution upgraded. under this scheme 2 job melas in the district level and one job fair in all blocks will be conducted to create more job opportunity.

It is a scheme to empower working women by enabling them to purchase women friendly two wheelers to ease their commute to their enterprises, Places of employment, engagements with banks and community based institutions. The vehicle is gearless / auto-geared. The Differently Abled may avail retro-fitted three wheeler scooters. A maximum Subsidy of 50% of the cost of the two wheeler or Rs.25,000/, whichever is less, will be provided.

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) intends to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots level institutions of the poor. The scheme is being implemented from the year 2014-15.

Under this Day-Nulm Scheme the urban poor (Persons in the BPL list ) need to be formed in to SHGs. Where there is strong affinity or special reasons exist. However atleast 70% of the SHG members should be urban poor to quality for funding support under day nulm women SHGs should be formed – men SHGs of different abled persons can be formed each SHGs should generally have 12 to 20 members. Special SHGs like PWDs, tribal, transgender have a minimum of 5members ( Vulnerable person, paper pickers, rickshaw pullers, sanitation worker) physically challenged male members may also be joined.

The employment through skills training and placement to provided skills to the unskilled urban poor as well as to upgrade their existing skills. The programme will provide for skill training of the urban poor to enable them to set up self employment ventures and equip them for salaried jobs in the formed and informed sector. Training course with minimum of 3 months with NCVT/SSC certification is arranged.

Self Employment Programme will focus on financial assistance to individuals of urban poor for setting up of gainful self employment ventures/micro enterprise. The component will also support SHGs of urban poor to access easy credit from bank and avail interest subsidy on SHG loans.

All kinds of training will be given to the SHG members and also training will be arranged for bankers and other stake holders.

The city livelihood would bridge the gab between demand and supply of the goods and services produced by the urban poor and also enables them to access information and business support services.

SHG members motivating themselves for 100% IHHL construction and also other members of the whole village panchayat to construct IHHL and to use it properly to avoid many disease by taking many efforts like door to door canvas, group peer pressure, Procession for common awareness and soft loan arrangement for poor people.

Arranging Rupay Card for all members of all SHGs and educate them to use it properly for all cashless transaction, which make them to feel safe, saving of the precious time, taking money in leave days.

SHG members taking more steps to plant more saplings in their houses, SHG building, Village common service centre and road side of their village panchayat to maintain good environment.

All members of SHG having the habits of savings and make others to save for their future.