Self Help Group - Development of the Entrepreneurship Character

According to a report on “Entrepreneurship Qualities of Members of Self Help Groups in
Dharwad District of Karnataka State” by Suma Hasalkar, Suhasini Rao and Chhaya Badiger, the women self help group play an important role in the entrepreneurship development especially in the rural areas. The study focuses on the various enterprises taken up by the self-help groups in the selected area and the identification of entrepreneurial qualities of women members of these groups organized in the rural areas of Dharwad District. The study revealed that out of the 15 self-help groups, three were registered and all groups had the bank account with joint signatories and conducted regular meetings. As high as 85.97 percent members participated in the wholesale purchase and sale of consumer goods with marginal profit to the society or self-help group. The traditional enterprises of leaf plate production and marketing was taken up by maximum percentage of women (31.7%). About 40.2 percent members were identified to have the quality ‘cooperation’ followed by the qualities ‘contribution of new ideas in meeting’ (17.95%) and ‘purchasing abilities’ (17.56%).

It has been generally accepted that a woman’s income in the family is very essential and important in relation to the nutritional, economic and educational upliftment of her family. Women contribution to the basic family maintenance stands out to be more than her male counterpart and so an increase in women’s income leads directly to better child health and nutrition. Thus the Formation of women self help groups help in development of entrepreneurship qualities, increase in employment opportunities, her social participation and horizons of her knowledge. Though most of the women in India have the capacity and talent to work, they are not able to get ready made jobs due to the under and unemployment problems. Household enterprise constitutes the single biggest source of employment for women after agriculture. SHGs have become the best way to help a women recognize her own talents and capabilities and engaging herself in income generating activities. An entrepreneur as defined by Schumpeter (1961) is a dynamic agent of change or the catalyst who transforms increasingly physical, natural and human resources into corresponding production possibilities (Vinze,1987). The SHGs have emerged as a potent means of economic and social empowerment for the poor and especially the women.