CASIRJ Volume 6 Issue 10 [Year - 2015] ISSN 2319 – 9202 International Research Journal of Commerce Arts and Science http://www.casirj.com Page 82 Progress and Performance of Self-Help Groups in Haryana Dr. Santosh Nandal (Prof & Head, Department Of Economics) MDU Rohtak Surjeet Hooda Research Scholar, Department Of Economics MDU Rohtak Introduction Self Help Groups (SHGs) are a small, economically homogenous and affinity group of rural poor voluntarily formed to save and mutually agree to contribute to common fund to be lent to its members as per group decision. The basic aim of SHGs is to give financial support and employment to its members. It helps in eradicating poverty of its members and empowering the poor and vulnerable women via improving their socio-economic conditions. In India, NABARD initiated the provisioning of financial help to SHGs through Self-help Groups Bank Linkage programme in 1992. According to this programme, SHGs were linked with banks through financing them by banking services. SHG-Bank Linkage was an attempt to bring the unbanked poor into the formal banking system and to inculcate among the poor the thrift and credit habits, a natural corollary is for the group members to graduate into seeking more and better livelihood opportunities with access to credit. NABARD instigated SHGs to link with other commercial banks for financing. Microfinance Schemes in Haryana In Haryana, microfinance projects and schemes have been initiated by both government and non government organizations for the promotion of Self Help Groups (SHGs) by various agencies and departments. A list of the schemes and department is given in Table-1 and their brief introduction is as under: The Women and Child Development Department (WCDD) run a programme called Integrated Women’s Empowerment and Development Project (IWEDP) which was started in District Mahendergarh in July 1994 with an objective to create an enabling social environment by improving the status of women and the community. This program later on (w.e.f. January, 1999) was extended to Rewari district. A scheme called Programme for Advancement of Gender Equity (PAGE) was initiated in District Rewari in July 2003 with an aim to consolidate the Project outcomes of the past eight years and build capacities of the district machinery to continue supporting the Jagriti Mandalies (JMs). In order to make JMs a sustainable, a step was taken to transform the JMs into SHGs.