Tribal Women and Economic Empowerment: Emerging Opportunities through Self-Help Groups and Entrepreneurship in Tamil Nadu

Author

Dr. R. Geetha


Abstract

 Tribal women constitute an important component of the rural and forest-dependent economy of Tamil Nadu, but their economic advancement continues to be constrained by limited access to formal finance, markets, productive assets, skills, technology and entrepreneurial opportunities. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have emerged as an important institutional mechanism for addressing several of these constraints by encouraging savings, internal lending, collective decision-making, bank linkage and income-generating activities. This article examines the emerging opportunities for the economic empowerment of tribal women in Tamil Nadu through SHGs and entrepreneurship. The study is based primarily on secondary information obtained from the Census of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women (TNCDW), and Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO). The analysis indicates that Tamil Nadu had 794,697 Scheduled Tribe persons according to Census 2011, of whom 393,629 were women. Female literacy among the Scheduled Tribe population was 46.8 per cent, indicating the continuing importance of education and skill development. Tamil Nadu's SHG institutional framework provides opportunities for savings, credit access, skill development, enterprise formation and market participation. Government initiatives through TAHDCO also provide entrepreneurship assistance to Scheduled Tribe individuals and Self-Help Groups, while recent programmes have expanded opportunities in manufacturing, services, agriculture, handicrafts, food processing and other livelihood activities. The study argues that SHGs can become more effective instruments of tribal women's empowerment when credit is combined with entrepreneurship training, digital financial literacy, market linkage, value addition, branding and institutional support. The article concludes that an integrated approach combining finance, skills, enterprise development and market access is essential for transforming tribal women from livelihood participants into sustainable entrepreneurs.



Keywords

Tribal Women, Economic Empowerment, Self-Help Groups, Entrepreneurship, Microfinance, Livelihood, Tamil Nadu, Women Entrepreneurs



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References


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