Sripur is a remote village situated in the backward sea-facing block Jaynagar in the Sundarban Area, district south 24 parganas of West Bengal. In the year 2006 there was not adequate banking outreach in South 24 Parganas district and most of the household in the Sripur and surrounding areas were unbanked and financially not included. A few young man in the village led by Sri Manab Ghosh and Swapan Kumar Das made an attempt for financial inclusion process through the Self Help Group – Microcredit model. They took training and also exposure of the model in some existing NGOs who was already engaged in the same field. They organized the women of the poor families in the area and thought them the practice of small savings and other socio-economic activities for earning their livelihood. They conducted several meetings and training programme with the women and formed some SHGs. They started with small own fund which was supplemented by the small savings collected by the SHGs members and loan was disbursed to some selected members of SHGs at the rate of Rs 1000 each. This was the origin of Sripur Swami Vivekananda Welfare Society. Along with the financial inclusion process the society introduced social intervention initiatives viz. group resisting to liquor taking, family violence, sanitation, cleanliness, primary education to children, health care and environmental pollution. These initiatives acted like magic in the revaluation of the socio-economic status of the area which started to be dynamic for coping up with the changing process of modernization and development happening in the Country and in the World. The poor women who were isolated from the developments became gradually aware of the developments through the process of meeting, interaction, handing of money in the SHGs-Microcredit process.

Progress

During the year 2008, society started the microcredit programme with 15 villages 248 members. The membership group very rapidly and within 5 years we reached the borrower level of 3056 involving loan outstanding of Rs 212.03 lacs. As at end of the year 2015-16 the borrower level stood at 3112 which loan outstanding Rs 240.05 lacs. During the years the average loan size increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 13823. The recovery rate was almost 100% as the society field officers meet the borrower’s weekly basis and maintain a very cordial relation with the members of the SHGs. They apart from financial matters, they are friend, philosopher and guide of the SHGs members in matters of child education, illness, family violence and other social issues.

We established partnership with State Bank of India, Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank, Bank Of India and other financial Institutions for availing funds for the growth of our micro credit programme. Apart from financial Institutions we also had the support of Govt. of West Bengal Sundarban Development Board, Sarbo Shikha Mission in supporting our initiative for sanitation, education, health care, tree plantation, rain water harvesting and modern agriculture practices. At the end of the year we can claim to have a leading role in shaping the development process and financial inclusion of the households in the remote villages in our area of operations.