Assessing Development Impact of Micro Finance Programmes: Findings and Policy Implications from a National Study of Indian Micro Finance Sector
This document presents the main findings of SIDBI's Impact Assessment Study of its microfinance program vis-à-vis objectively verifiable socio-economic indicators. This study is pertaining to 4510 households comprising 3253 client households and 1257 non-client households of 25 MFIs.
The study highlights the benefits received by the client households from their association with microfinance, in terms of expansion and diversification of livelihood activities, growth in employment opportunities, income growth, asset acquisition, savings, access to loans from various sources, reduction in vulnerability and enhancement of women empowerment. The study illuminates the vast, unfulfilled demand for microfinance in India, and the MFI sector has immense potential and scope to grow, supplement and complement the SHG-Bank linkage program.
