Constraints Faced by the Self-Help Group (SHG) Members in Effective Management of Income Generating Activities: A Case Study in Cuttack District of Odisha

Abstract

The study examined the constraints faced by Self-Help Group (SHG) members under Mission Shakti in managing income-generating activities, focusing on social, economic, and technical dimensions. An ex- post- facto designed study has been carried out in the Cuttack district of Odisha. Different statistical tools like mean, median, mode have been used for better representation of the data. Total number of 120 respondents have been taken for the study. The results revealed that major constraints faced by members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across three dimensions: economic, technical, and social. Data collected from 120 respondents were evaluated using mean scores to rank the severity of each constraint. Among the economic constraints, the most critical issues were the high rate of interest (1.61), non-availability of finance (1.53), and high transaction costs (1.47), indicating systemic financial barriers and limited access to affordable credit. In terms of technical constraints, the leading challenges included a lack of direction and encouragement (1.46), lack of training (1.44), and lack of regular meetings (1.40), highlighting the need for structured guidance, skill development, and consistent group coordination. The analysis of social constraints revealed lack of education (2.26) and lack of family support (1.94) as the most severe issues, suggesting that socio-cultural factors significantly hinder participation and empowerment. Overall, the findings underscore the multifaceted nature of the difficulties SHG members face and point to the need for integrated interventions that address financial access, technical capacity building, and social support systems.