Every SHG with minimum 3 months of age satisfying the doctrine of Panchasutra (regular meetings, regular savings, regular internal lending, regular recoveries and maintenance of proper books of accounts) are provided with a Revolving Fund of 30,000/-, one time grant, by the Anandadhara directly into the Group’s Bank account. This RF helps the SHG to catalyse the process of internal lending to SHG member and to enable them to meet the immediate credit needs of the members.

Community Investment Fund (CIF)

Anandadhara also provides for Community Investment Fund as a resource in perpetuity to capitalise the SHGs through the GP level Federation of SHGs (Sangha) in three forms.

• Seed Capital to Cluster level Federation (Sangha) is for onward lending to SHGs against SHG’s micro-investment/micro-credit plan. CIF equivalent to Rs 1,50,000/- per SHGs, is the eligible amount to be provided to the Sangha in terms of total members of SHGs under the Sangha. This CIF is provided as a capital in perpetuity to each Cluster Level Federation (CLF), subject to availability of approved Fund year wise.
• Vulnerability Reduction Fund (VRF) of Rs. 1 lakh only is provided to all Sanhgas. This VRF is a revolving fund i.e it has to be used by Sanghas to give Soft Loans. The components of VRF include-
• Contribution from Anandadhara
• Own contribution of Sangha Samabaya

VRF is used by Sanghas to provide small amount of soft loans (i.e with very low interest or even without interest) to the most vulnerable/needy families irrespective of whether any of the female members of the household are already included or yet to be included in an SHG. However, in case support is extended to non-SHG Household, steps should be immediately taken to bring an eligible female member of the household in the SHG fold of Anandadhara.

Sangha may also consider granting of moratorium i.e delayed starting of repayment considering the condition of the loanee.

Beneficiaries (Vulnerable household) is selected through “Participatory Identification Process “(PIP). Disbursement of VRF may be initiated on the basis of List of Vulnerable HHs prepared and arranged in order of priority in a meeting of upasangha conducted with participation of representative of all the connected SHGs and at least 10 other persons i.e non- SHG members of the locality

Bank Loan

The funding support from Anandadhara is essentially intended to act as a catalyst for the SHGs to borrow larger amounts from the Bank in a gradual manner Business/consumption needs, emergency needs, redemption of high-cost outstanding debt, livelihood enhancement and other priorities like education, health etc.

• Cash Credit Limit (CCL): In case of CCL, banks are advised to sanction minimum loan of Rs 6 lakhs to each eligible SHGs for a period of 3 years with a yearly drawing power (DP). In the first year Drawing Power will be Rs.1.50 lakh, in second year Drawing Power will be enhanced to Rs.3.00 lakh, and in the third year Drawing Power will be Rs.6.00 lakh and thereafter in terms of need based Micro Credit Plan prepared by the SHGs. The drawing power may be enhanced annually based on the repayment performance of the SHG.
• Term Loans: SHGs also can avail Term loan from the Bank to acquire economic assets or lending to SHGs.

Mudra Loan Scheme/ Direct Enterprise Loans

Under Mudra Loan Scheme Banks provide loans to Business Enterprises in Manufacturing, Trading and Services sector including allied agricultural activities. SHG members pursuing such business enterprise and requiring a loan for Rs.50,000/- or more and if the SHG and or the Federation is not in a position to provide the same, such cases can be sponsored to the Banks by the Sanghas under this Scheme. The maximum loan limits will range from Rs.50,000/- to Rs.10.00 lakh. From this year, MoRD has allocated a target for sponsoring MUDRA loans also to meet the enhanced requirement of capital for enterprise promotion by the SHG members.

Most of the public sector banks have developed tailor made specific loan product for the women led enterprises of the SHG members, ranging from Rs.1.00 lakh to Rs.20.00 lakh collateral free loans for the matured SHG members.

Uniform Interest subvention Scheme against the loans availed by the SHGs (Applicable from 01 April 2022 )

One uniform scheme on interest subvention for women Self Help Groups supported by NRLM only with the following provision is implemented across the country with effect from 01.st April 2022.

• SHG to get loans upto Rs 3 lakhs at upfront interest rate of 7% p.a. Banks lending @ upfront 7% interest will be subvented at uniform rate of 4.5% per annum.
• SHG to get loans above Rs 3 Lakhs and upto Rs 5 lakhs at upfront interest rate equivalent to 1year MCLR or any other benchmark rates or maximum of 10% interest p.a. whichever is less. Banks will be subvented at a uniform rate of 5% per annum.
• The Scheme is applicable only for women SHGs supported under DAY-NRLM.
• Women SHGs promoted by other agencies & following DAY-NRLM protocols will also be eligible for benefit under the scheme subject to prior submission of the details of such SHGs on the DAY-NRLM SHG database.
• For loans above Rs.5.00 lakh, the card rate of bank’s interest will be charged.

WBSRLM has created a pool of trained SHG cadres termed as Vitta Sakhi for facilitating enterprise loans to the SHG members.

Women Land Literacy programme(WLL):

With the objective to break the psychological barrier of women to know about land and land issues and expose them to learn land governance, land ownership, inheritance laws, land documents; “Anandadhara” collaborated with Land & Land Reforms Department and in partnership with an NGO (Landesa) with background of land reforms work decided to implement land literacy programme for raising awareness on matters relating to land for the members of the women’s Self-Help Groups in 2017. The special initiative on Gender is ongoing in all 23 districts, around 435 Trainers have been trained to orient SHG members on WLL. Till date approximately 30 lakh SHG members have been oriented on WLL.

Engendering Land Governance – Sangha Facilitation Centre - graduation from WLL

The land literacy promotion programme across the districts, saw a demand emerging within the training recipients on accessing services for updating and correcting land records, though the challenge for women remained in approaching the land offices and overcoming the middlemen’s intervention.

The WB government introduced web-based land services in public domain to bring accuracy in work, efficiency, and transparency, and in this context several Sangha boards rose to the occasion to start land service centres with trained SHG leaders as service providers. Presently 190 SFCs are operational. The SFC is a counselling centre, managed and run by the women SHG members for providing support to the SHG members and their families in accessing various online land related information and services provided by Land & Land Reforms Dept. Govt. of West Bengal. These centres are managed by the two land literacy trainers from self-help group members. They provide the various land-related services such as online applications for Mutation, Plot Information, Record of Rights, land classification change (conversion), record corrections, and payment of land revenue.

These centres provide opportunity for income generation for the service providers through service delivery to the visiting women and their family members.

WBSRLM organises different types of training for farm and farm allied activities for SHG members to help them achieve an aspirational annual income of one lakh. If a SHG Didi’s sustain an annual income of Rs 1lakh/year are known as lakhpati Didis. For enabling SHG Women to become Lakhpati Didis, Livelihood Planning at Household level is critical. It is generally planned that each of the trained CRP will be tagged to potential Lakhpati Didis and they will facilitate in preparing the livelihood plan. After preparation of the livelihood plan, it will be digitized (entered in the Lakhpati MIS) for further consolidation and reporting.

Integrated Farming Cluster:

Mahila Kisan Sashatikaran Project (MKSP) provide a robust framework and financial backing, and different livelihood programmes for augmentation of livelihoods in agriculture and agriculture allied activity. Integrated Farming Cluster is implemented with a purpose of promoting diversified livelihoods interventions in a cluster approach. Each IFC is planned with two to three adjoining villages benefiting 500 households. All the identified households are facilitated to select three to four livelihood options having maximum potential for growth, in terms of production and productivity, scope for value chain development, processing and marketing. Dedicated fund of Rs. 40 Lakh has been earmarked for each of the cluster, out of which 20 lakhs have been sanctioned for Livelihood Service Centre to set up through Sangha (CLF). LSC will act as one stop solution to the farmers to access to latest technology, training and capacity building, and supply of all sorts of high-quality inputs, women friendly latest farm machineries on hire, animal vaccines, vet-medicines, mini hatchery, storage etc. All the members of IFC must be SHG members. Currently 106 IFCs (34 IFCs are under NRETP and 72 under MKSP IFC)are functional.

Producer Groups (PGs):

The National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) supported by World Bank introduced the concept of Value addition and Aggregation of commodities by SHG producers by forming of PGs The PGs are majorly comprised of 35 to 40 self-help group members, with significant business transactions and engaged in localized marketing activities catering to the local demand and supply situations. Their business model is primarily based on economies of aggregation and thus aimed at reduction in individual transaction costs involved within the village. Their target markets are also local and usually fall within a short radius. At the village level, PGs are able to aggregate the commodities and collectively sell them in the market, better price negotiation and higher price realization. All the PGs will be supported with two types of grants

• One time infrastructure grant: A grant of 50K will be mobilised to the account of PG for village level infrastructure and primary value addition.
• Working Capital: after preparation of business plan PG will submit the business plan to Sangha and will get the support as 1.5 lakhs as loan in 3 phases for supporting the business plan.Total 819 PGs are functional under PG program of WBSRLM.

Apart from it different community cadres like community managed sustainable agriculture under these programmes CRPs are appointed in Sangha to impart different trainings. SHG women are also trained animal resource development to increase income specially for small ruminants like back yard poultry.Prani-Mitras are usually trained to create awareness around livestock and awareness camp around vaccination camp of BYP and Goat. Total 66403 SHG women are associated with ARD.

• Entrepreneurship Development Programs (One Stop Facility Centres, Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Program):

  Under these programs Community Enterprise Fund (CEF) is provided to Block Level Mahasanghas for further loaning to the SHG members for development of rural enterprises.

• Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME):

  Under this scheme the rural micro food processing units of SHG members are getting small seed capital loans (Maximum upto Rs. 40,000/- per SHG member) for development of their small food processing units.

• Aajeevika Gramin Express Yojona (AGEY):

  Under these initiatives financial support maximum up to 8.5 lakh has been provided to selected Sangha Samabays for procurement of commercial vehicles for route service and also goods carriage.

• Under entrepreneurship development programs training getting imparted for business plan preparation in order to support systematic entrepreneurship development at the rural Bengal

• School Uniform Production: SHG member are involved in school uniform production. Under this scheme, students up to class eight of the Govt. and Govt. aided schools get two sets of school uniform from the Government end. The stitching of this uniforms are being done by the SHG members against which they earn sustainable livelihoods in form of wage. The SHG members are also getting skill upgradation training for tailoring activity under this initiative.

• Establishment of SHG food joints: Under these initiative food joints are getting established by the SHG units at prominent tourist spots and administrative buildings of different districts. Under this initiative, financial support of rupees maximum upto 6 .50 lakhs is provided for the renovation and other supports to the tagged SHG units.

• SHG members are also involved in different livelihood activities in convergence with different line departments under the West Bengal government. ICDS food material supply, production and supply of Ready To Eat (RTE) foods to ICDS projects, Paddy procurement, production and supply of sanitary napkins are few to mention. Under these initiatives SHG institutions are getting selected through a proper selection process of the respective department and the SHG members under the respective SHG institution are getting involved for the mentioned activities on the basis of wage employment