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Synopsis This is a comprehensive book on microfinance in India. Banking sector in India is facing many serious problems like overdues. How to provide adequate and timely credit to the rural poor is really a challenging task. True, banks have introduced a number of innovative schemes to help the poor, but they met with limited success. The Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are empowering the rural poor by providing them access to institutional credit and other relevant services. The SHGs lay stress on thrift, training and capacity building. Emphasis is placed on educating the members on social issues also. Provision of institutional credit through SHGs has produced many positive results. The problem of overdues has been solved. The borrowers need not only credit, but also supporting inputs and services. In short, microfinance led to the real empowerment of the rural poor, particularly women.