Self Help Groups at Jaipur

Corey:

I have spent the past couple weeks analyzing the data I collected through the surveys I conducted. I interviewed 48 self-help group (SHG) members individually and 10 SHGs as a whole. Through my surveys, I wholeheartedly believe that Jaipur Rugs Foundation’s (JRF) SHG initiative is benefiting the lives of weavers. I believe that the SHG initiative has tackled three major social problems: the presence of exploitative middlemen, social discrimination, and rural-urban migration. First, middlemen, acting as liaisons between weavers and contractors, have traditionally employed exploitative practices that have left weavers trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and suffering. However, Jaipur Rugs Company (JRC) has cut out these middlemen by creating a business that oversees every process of carpet weaving – from production and manufacturing to exporting and wholesaling. Moreover, JRF conducts capacity-building trainings, facilitates market linkages with JRC, and plans to eventually organize the weavers into an independent federal body with ownership over the company; rather than confining weavers to a life of dependency, as middlemen have traditionally done, JRF encourages the weavers to become truly self-dependent entrepreneurs.

Second, the SHG initiative addresses the discrimination and inequality inherent in India’s social system. Although the Indian Constitution has outlawed the caste system, caste-based discrimination still persists in parts of India, specifically in the rural areas of the country. SC, ST, and OBC members have been subject to horrible discrimination and inequality. Although they make up the majority of the population of India, they have the lowest social status and have suffered from social segregation, social restrictions, and extreme poverty. Indian women have also faced similar treatment. Although the status of women in ancient India has been widely debated, women of the medieval period were subject to harsh discrimination when sati, jauhar, child marriages, the dowry system, and the practice of purdah spread. Since then, Indian women, particularly those in rural settings, have faced low social status, social segregation, and poverty. JRF seeks to mitigate such discrimination and inequality by employing women, SC, ST, and OBC. With 96% of its weavers SC, ST, or OBC and 70% of its weavers female, JRF uses carpet weaving as a tool to empower the most disadvantaged populations of India.

Third, the SHG initiative addresses the problem of rural-urban migration in India. With 70% of the rural population depending on agriculture for their livelihood, agriculture is the principal occupation of the rural population of India. However, the productivity of agriculture is low, there are great population pressures on agriculture land and unpredictable weather patterns. All of these factors have created serious problems of unemployment and underemployment in rural India. Thus, rural villagers have flocked to the metropolitan cities of India in search of better employment and livelihoods. The urban population of India grew by 70 million, or 31.2 %, from 1991 to 2001This migrant inflow has placed tremendous pressure on urban infrastructure, led to overcrowding, increased traffic and pollution, and created a sense of disorder. Moreover, most of the migrants have ended up living in slums where water shortages, lack of sanitation and the absence of basic amenities necessary to support a dignified life are common. Thus, JRF provides a check on migration by offering an alternative livelihood to agriculture. Not only can carpet weaving prevail in the face of drought and famine, but also JRF promises its weavers stable employment and relatively higher wages; JRF buys back every carpet produced and the weavers’ wages increase from approximately 50 rupees per day to approximately 110 rupees per day. By tackling these three social problems, I truly believe that JRF’s SHG initiative will improve the lives of weavers, enhance the socioeconomic status of rural communities, foster the development of Indian culture and society, and ultimately change the world.

-Corey