The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Cuddalore News : Fisherwomen take SHG route to earn a living

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 05, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore

Fisherwomen take SHG route to earn a living

By A.V. Ragunathan

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

Fisherwomen are seen flocking to the banks to hand over the applications for forming Self-Help Groups in Cuddalore .— Photo: T. Singaravelou

CUDDALORE, FEB. 4. After the tsunami attack, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the coastal villages in Cuddalore district.

Ever since the disaster, more than 175 new SHGs have come up; and still more are in the offing. Each SHG has a membership ranging from 20 to 25. Besides these, there already exist 39 almost defunct SHGs with a strength of 770, and these are being reactivated.

With all their sources of livelihood washed away, fisherwomen are finding the SHG an attractive proposition for their rehabilitation and economic empowerment. Being accustomed to hard work, the community does not want to depend upon doles but wants to earn a living in a dignified manner.

The cash-strapped women feel that the SHGs would help them earn a decent living, besides bringing immediate cash assistance for the household.

Prior to the tsunami, the male-dominated fishing community was averse to SHGs, but now it is realising its relevance. It is no exaggeration to say that the post-tsunami is seeing a socio-economic transformation of the community.

According to the NGOs working among them, the literacy rate in the community is 30--40 per cent; at the age of 17 the boys take to fishing and girls are married off. Therefore, they are all confined to fishing and allied activities.

Bank support

The fisherwomen are finding that the SHG idea has plenty of support. The Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, told The Hindu that at a recent bankers' meeting it was decided to waive the six-month gestation period and to extend revolving funds based on the dependability of the SHGs, to be decided on a case-to-case basis.

Recently, the banks gave away Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 as consumption loans to individual members, and Rs 60,000-Rs 80,000 to groups. This has spurred the proliferation of the SHGs, as fisherwomen badly need money for their daily chores.

The Project Officer (District Rural Development Agency), D. Jagannathan, said these SHGs would be trained in modern trade practices — drying fish with solar devices, crab fattening, preparation of fish-pickles and so on.

Before the tsunami, the Collector had sanctioned a sum of Rs 15 lakhs from the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana to initiate the fisherwomen in these aspects. The idea is gaining ground with adolescent girls of the community that they should take to other pursuits such as making artefacts (from sea shells), tailoring, running small shops and so on.

An unexpected fallout of the tsunami then is that the younger generation of the community is now thinking along the lines of joining the mainstream.

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