Impact of Microfinance on the Economic Conditions of the Poor Women

Micro–finance is a set of financial practices designed to serve the unbanked poor and it is a potent weapon against poverty that is supposed to solve it all. Micro–finance is a term of comparatively recent origin. It is reflective of at least two elements which were not captured by earlier debates and concerns on the subject of rural credit. The term ‘micro–finance‘ itself is considered inappropriate by some NGOs which prefer the term of ‘development finance’ or ‘alternative finance’ which can be said to “aim at assessing communities of the economically excluded to achieve greater levels of asset creation and income security at the household and community level”. It can include enterprise development and marketing strategies, community-based investments and financial management schemes. In view of the importance the present study is a useful exercise in this direction to assess the scope and growth of micro-finance and rural area women empowerment. Finally, this work has immense value of growth of Micro-finance and Women empowerment in India and Andhra Pradesh.