UGC sponsored Two day National Seminar on “Micro Finance for Analysing and understanding the vast opportunity,
Analysing and understanding the vast opportunity, MFIs expanded their product
Inclusive Growth: Challenges in Sustainability of Micro Finance
Operations and Interventions”
About the University
Bharathidasan University was established in February 1982, and was named
after the great revolutionary Tamil Poet, Bharathidasan (1891-1968). The motto of the
University “We will create a brave new world” has been framed from Bharathidasan’s
Poetic words. The University endeavors to be true to such a vision by creating in the
region a brave new world of academic innovation for social chance”.
About the department
Department of Women’s Studies is functioning with an objective to promote
gender equality at all spheres of society through the activities of Academic, Research
Activities, Training, Networking and Advocacy, counselling and consultancy,
Seminar and Conferences, Library, Publications and Documentation and
Outreach. With such multifaceted activities, the department has been involved in formulating
theories on the basis of the Research Studies and Field work experiences, and makes
recommendations to policies thereby trying to create an impact on the society to address
various inequalities.
Background:
NABARD and RBI have introduced the concept of micro credit SHG to save
and lend among themselves and tie up for revolving credit, subsequently to economic
assistance. But the objective of micro finance got shifted from a social mission of serving
the poor to target and chase the number of borrowers to maximixe profit thereby defeating
the purpose and goal underlined by the father of Micro Finance Mohammad Yunus. It is
observed and evidenced in many studies that such transformed focus on making profit
changed the structure of ownership, management and nature of their stakeholder commitment.
The MFIs may include NGOs and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). MFIs
has the challenge and risk of transacting with poor whose only insurance is their earnings.
Given the risk, MFIs adopt different strategies to improve their comfort levels, the failure
will be minimized. Group collateral, incentives, complete monitoring of the activities of
the borrower within the locality, frequent visits to ensure the payment, verbal and non-
verbal penalties for default, questioning the mutual collateral sources, and in extreme
cases adopting strategies of threatening through local big shots. Since the expansion and
scaling up, the MFIs use various techniques to exploit innocent borrowers with exorbitant
interest rate of 30% to 50% which was the prime issue with traditional money lenders
and humiliating defaulters.
During 2004, the mainstream MFIs started working with Women SHG (of
NGOs) and formed Male SHG for up scaling the business. Different repayment schedules
could be structured for different clients and the portfolio at risk is minimized at higher scale.
Commonly the MFIs develop the business propositions by a cleaver scanning of the
geographic location, socio-psycho behaviors and culture of people and specific business/
activities. The MFI has a clear understanding of the market. They are the clients who are
willing to pay for access and convenience. This has facilitiated to design strategies such
as lending at the clientele doorstep, low transaction cost, small transition period and
application procedures made simple and clearly understood by the clients which were
absent with banks. Economies of scale and effective uses of technology and innovations
have brought costs and interest rates down for MFIs.
to urban poor providing additional loan products, such as housing, auto and education,
new insurance schemes for health, life and assets and unique services like remittances.
As the growth of MFIs has been scaled up , they get tied up with bank as financial
intermediary. In this context, they act as a collection agent instead of financial intermediary.
Many NBFC aspire for public offering thereby enriches the shareholders with capital
Department of Women’s Studies
gains at the cost of poor. The poor who are charged huge interest and in turn the rich are Bharathidasan University,
reaping the dividends. Currently, the microfinance sector in India are existing under three Khajamalai Campus, Thiruchirappalli -23
different categories including. UGC- Sponsored
v Slow growing, informal and community-based (SHG bank-linkage programme)
Two Day National Seminar
v Moderately growing and not-for-profit (NGO-MFIs & cooperatives), and on
v Fast growing, regulated and commercial (non-banking finance companies or NBFCs]
“Micro Finance for Inclusive Growth: Challenges in Sustainability
of Micro Finance Operations and Interventions”
Objectives: 18 & 19 March 2011
v To understand the functions and operations of MFIs and the strategies followed to Registration Form
scale up, expand their products, innovations, services etc.
v To anlayse whether MFIs and Micro Finance has helped to economic and social
development in the society and promotes inclusive growth.
v To analyse the contribution of MFIs towards inclusive growth and their services to Name : ____________________________________________
SHG women in rural and urban areas.
v To understand the type of trades or uses in which the financials services rendered
Designation: ________________________________________
by MFIs has been used.
v To examine the role of MFIs in promoting women empowerment through micro Institution: _________________________________________
enterprise development, attending the basic and emergency needs of the household
and the kind of issues that the women face due to their association with MFIs and Address for Communication : __________________________
taking micro credit products.
v To assess the MFIs growth to promote equity and the differential functioning to reach
out the marginalized and excluded group.
v To investigate as to how far the increase the accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness
Phone Nos (O) _______________ (R) __________________
(credit scoring, promotion of mass customization of products and services, and
target adjustments to maintain customer loyalty have lead to financial inclusion and
empower poor and sustainability. Mobile: _________________ Email:_____________________
General Theme:
Whether Presenting a Paper : Yes / No
v Different models of MFIs including NGOs as Financial Intermediary, State and
NABARD supported Models of SHG formation and linkage with banks, the market
Title of the Paper: ____________________________________
based credit delivery model by the modern MFIs and their implications on inclusive
growth, approaches and strategies followed by different models in reaching the very
objective of Micro Finance to empower the poor particularly women with micro credit and Registration Fees Details : ____________________________
sustain development by eliminating poverty.
v Whether MFIs through their financial inclusion has impacted the women to get
DD.No:____Date:________Amount Rs._______Bank:______
assertiveness over their rights and promoted them to have control over resources,
improve their status, prestige in the society and family and resulted in recognition of _________________________________________________________________
women as equal partners of development, and include them in every decision making
affairs of the family, community, society, state, market etc (Need be, please make copies of this form for multiple applications)
Sub Themes: Submission Deadlines:
v Impact of MFIs on empowering poor, women and other marginalized section Abstract of around 300 words : 15- Feb 2011
through financial inclusion.
Full paper around 5000 words : 01 - Mar 2011
v Different MFI models and their contribution to women empowerment.
Registration Fee:
v Shift in approaches of various towards market from a social mission and their
Micro Finance Institutions: Rs.1,000/-
distortions in achieving inclusive growth
v SWOT analysis of MFIs to sustain for future
NGOs, Government Departments Rs.500/-
Teachers and Researchers Rs. 300/-
v MFIs and SHG women supported with Micro Enterprise Development
v Differences in utilizing the services of MFIs by the rural and urban SHGs and
Students/ Research Scholars Rs. 150/- Department of Women’s Studies
Registration fee should be paid by demand Draft drawn in favour of Coordinator,
issues faced due to diversion of load and default.
National Seminar, Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University,
Bharathidasan University,Khajamalai Campus
v The contribution of SHG to savings and thrift and lending and of MFIs growth. Tiruchirappalli-23 Thiruchirappalli -23
v Positive and negative aspects of development of SHG women and the empowerment
Participants are requested to make their own arrangement for stay and travel. If
strategies.
needed, it will be arranged on request.
v Impact of SHGs on economic, social, political empowerment and disempowerment
if any through various indicators. Location
v Women empowerment indices realized through SHGs and financial inclusion Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University is in the Khajamalai, UGC- Sponsored
v Strategies followed by MFIs to reach the poor and scale up their activities from the Two Day National Seminar
Near Law College, Tiruchirappalli. It is located 4 kms away from Tiruchirappalli Bus
Stand and Railway Station and 2km.from Airport. The city is well connected with on
perspectives of borrowers and the MFIs.
Road, Rail and Air. It is a centrally located city of Tamil Nadu which is surrounded by
v The transaction of Micro credit to MFIs. many other important cities of tourism.
v Impact of micro credit on micro savings, issues faced by Women with MFIs. “Micro Finance for Inclusive Growth: Challenges in
v The kind of harassment if any by the MFIs in recovering the payment from defaulters Organising Committee Sustainability of Micro Finance Operations and
v MFIs and its provisions to access to credit and economic empowerment and Interventions”
enhancing autonomy.
Chief Patron : Dr. K. Meena
Vice- Chancellor, Bharathidasan University
v Economic independence in terms of improved income sources through Micro credit
and whether it has lead to better exposure to new set of ideas, values and social Patron : Dr.T.Ramasamy 18 & 19th March 2011
support to make them more assertive of their rights. Registrar, Bharathidasan University
v Kind of empowerment, disempowerment experienced by the women and possible
directions to get prompt services and repayment.
Co-ordinator : Dr. N. Manimekalai
Director & Professor,
v Case studies of various successful and default MFIs in India and the region wise Department of Women’s Studies
issues. Dr. N. Manimekalai
v Micro Finance and failure of the market, its impact on poor. Asst. Coordinator : Dr.S. Suba Seminar Coordinator
v Role of RBI and State in regulating the market based approaches and market forces
Assistant Professor,
Director & Professor, Department of Women’s Studies
Department of Women’s Studies
operating on the demand and supply side Bharathidasan University, Khajamalai Campus
v Market Failure and possible social issues – borrowers suicides, harassment of Other Staff of the Department : Ms. M.S. Sameem Banu Tiruchirapppalli – 620 023
poor, increasing commercial sex work, etc. Ms. S. Jilly Phillipa
v Micro Finance a Feminist Critique
Phone [o] 0431- 2420357, 0431-2420277
Ms. R. Gayathri
Fax: 0431-2420357
Call for papers Ms. S. Ilavarasi
Mobile: 9443923839, 9443020863, 9003324147
To:
The above are only suggestive list not exhaustive. In addition to the written papers,
documentation of case studies in video forms with subtitles are encouraged. The paper E-mail : seminarwsc@gmail.com,
may be submitted both in soft and hard copies, with times New Roman font, 12 font sizes dws@bdu.ac.in
and 1.5 Line spacing. Also visit www.bdu.ac.in