Income Generation

Project Location : Income Generation Program (IGP) Support for the disadvantaged communities

Project Background: Livelihood Security is a stable concern of the project. The economic condition depends on agriculture and allied activities. The ratio of agricultural land is less than the population. Throughout the year job is not available in these villages. Maintenance of their family is big problem. So, they borrow money from the money lenders and become poorer. Agriculture is the main source of income through 35% of the household own no land and only 40% of the household own less than one acre of land.

This regime is mostly mono-crop area, only agriculture cannot provide employment to all the people. A small percentage of educated people find employment in Kolkata. Most of the people somehow find some ways of income by vending vegetable or fish trade etc. People does not get job for whole year for their livelihood. However, the people of low-income group have no way to do small business due to shortage of required capital. The rate of interest from the moneylender is very high and sometimes it reaches to 5% a day or 10% a month. All these people are day laborers and they spent in the same day what they get as labour charge. Through self-employment scheme, we intend to motivate the people and make them self-reliance.

Overall Objective: Contribute to the reduction of poverty level and social exclusion of marginalized rural households in South 24 Parganas District in West Bengal

Strategy of the project:

• Formation and strengthening of Self Help Groups / income generation group (new and existing groups)
• Capacity building of target groups on relevant social issue, government schemes and entitlements, resource mobilization etc.
• Identifying the feasible trades in the proposed locations
• Conduct skill trainings to start IGP (if required)
• Provide seed capital to the poor families for IGP through SHG
• Ensure linkage with relevant organizations/line departments as part of business planning of IGP.

Output of the Project:

• 52 SHGs have been formed in 10 targeted villages among the rural backward families.
• 52 SHGs have their Bank A/c in Alahabad and Bangiya Gramin Bikash Bank. (35 in Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank and 17 in Allahabad Bank)
• 570 Families have received loan and started income generation activities.
• 334 SHG members received IGP Grant of Rs. 30, 00,000.00.
• 236 SHG members received Inter Loan of Rs. 90,66,000.00.
• 3 SHG have received Bank loan 1 lac each.
• Linkage is built with PRI, Bank and other government department and access facilities
• SHG members are trained on livestock, fishery and agriculture to strengthen their livelihood
• Leadership quality is raised up among the SHG members.
• The attendance of women in Gram Sansad meeting has increased.
• A cluster has been formed called Nari Shakti Sangha.