Microfinance and its implications for women’s empowerment and socio- economic advancement in Delhi NCR

Economics

This study examines the impact of microfinance on socio-economic status and women’s empowerment in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. Combining a literature syntheses with secondary sector data and a proposed primary survey (600 respondents, as in the synopsis), the paper (a) situates India’s rapidly growing microfinance sector, (b) describes SHG/JLG reach in the NCR states (Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh), and (c) proposes an empirical framework to assess whether microfinance participation improves household income, asset ownership, decision-making and mobility for women. National-level microfinance and SHG statistics and NFHS indicators are used to contextualize the study and to construct testable hypotheses and variables for empirical analysis. Key sector facts used in the paper: India’s microfinance gross loan portfolio reached ~₹4.34 lakh crore (MFIN—March 2024); over 90 lakh SHGs and roughly 10 crore rural women households have been mobilised under DAY-NRLM (nationally); Haryana’s state mission reports ~59,102 SHGs covering ~5.87 lakh households (state totals).

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