Self-Help Groups (SHGs) can play a crucial role in alleviating rural poverty by providing women with access to microfinance, enabling them to start small businesses and improve their livelihoods. Examine.

Livelihood Mission: II. Small Businesses 1. Promotes employment opportunities through schemes such as AJEEVIA 2. Creates an ecosystem of initiatives eg. Kadamba tree 3. Promotes sustainable women-led entrepreneurial act (grocery store in Madhya Pradesh dev) III. Improves livelihoods 1. Promotes food security through food fortification SHGs (eg. Uttarpradesh) 2. Improves status in society and challenges patriarchy 3. Prevents disaster outreach/water stress through innovative groups eg. Green Himalaya SHG, Dolla in Punjab, Taarla in districts However, certain challenges faced: 1. Limited accessibility to finance amidst rising NPAs (over 80-30% for SHG) 2. Lack of functional expertise due to numeralisation and illiteracy (75% in India) 3. Limited technological integration such as Artificial Intelligence, software as solution, market platforms, demanding forecasting 4. Double burden of work both at home and SHG 5. Linkage forward backward linkage through e-NAM, DFSWAN, DNDC etc way forward 6. Provide training under Vrikshakerama, launched Vilkot Yojana 7. Promote credit availability through guarantee schemes SHGs need to shift from 'Panchayat' to 'Dasettari' encompassing health, education, climate