A. Women Self Help Groups Project:

Under the support of National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD), Tripura Regional Office, Voluntary Health Association of Tripura, started implementing the Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) project in May 2013. VHSF has been assigned the activities of the project in West Tripura District to:

• Promotion of Women Self Help Groups for participation in Bank Loan based income generation activities.
• More participation and involvement of women in sustainable income generation activities for livelihood enhancement.
• Formation of 500 new Federated Women Self Help Groups in West Tripura District.

We operate at capacity building and value adding activities to timely inculcation of the field activities, higher coordination with the nodal bank branches is going on for WSHGs to make field visits sustainable. Orientation workshops for the SHG leaders. For the capacity building we have collaborated with various govt. and non-government organizations like KVKs and RSETIs.

The Nodal Branches of the Banks to support the Women Self Help Group Project are as follows:

Sl. No.	Bank	Branch
1	Tripura Gramin Bank	Bishramganj
2	Central Bank of India	Bishalgarh
3	Tripura Gramin Bank	Seh Melaghar
4	State Bank of India	Gakulnagar
5	State Bank of India	Badharghat
6	United Bank of India	Jogendranagar
7	Tripura Gramin Bank	Kathalia
8	Tripura Gramin Bank	Melaghar
9	Tripura Gramin Bank	Mohanpur
10	Tripura Gramin Bank	Lefunga

B. Livelihood & Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP):

This scheme has been implementing by VHSF since March 2016 in West Tripura District with support from National Bank for Agricultural & Rural Development (NABARD).

The objectives of this scheme:

• To enhance the capacities of SHG members / their family members through identifying the skill gaps, appropriate skill up gradation, demonstrations and development of livelihood activities in the fields of:
• Agriculture and allied activities
• To advocate the income levels of SHG members by improving/ acquiring of skills to take up livelihood activities with credit support of banks
• To provide a stand for chance of changing, enhancing capacity / knowledge of SHG members for managing their enterprises, business development and marketing
• To provide mentoring services and handholding support for ensuring that trained SHG members establish their livelihood ventures successfully

This scheme has been implementing in Baroma and Mandai Block. Total 240 Women SHG members were trained through 8 batches. Mandai block has been chosen as the Agri and allied activities, fish rearing and mushroom cultivation training were organized for the women members in Mandai Block.

C. E-Shakti Digitization of SHGs:

E-Shakti: Digitization of SHGs was an initiative of Micro Credit and Innovations Department at present, keeping in view the Government of India's mission for creating a digital India, NABARD has launched this project for digitalization of all Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the Country.

Aims and Objectives:

• Improving the efficiencies within the National Financial Inclusion agenda
• Integrating SHG members with the national Financial Inclusion agenda
• Increasing the ease of interface between SHG members and Banks for efficient and hassle free delivery of banking services
• Facilitate convergence of delivery system with SHG members and handheld device, aiding financial inclusion

Benefits of digitization of SHGs:

• Shifting of SHG accounts, which ensures bankers' comfort on credit appraisal and linkage of SHGs
• Adoption of good practices for proper and prompt book-keeping of SHG members
• Mapping of financial transactions undertaken by SHG members and building their credit history
• Ease of interface with Credit Bureaus and Banks
• Scope of providing social benefits and Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) through Aadhaar linked accounts and convergence with other Government benefits
• A comprehensive information base and robust MIS can be developed for prompt community level intervention, which may facilitate suitable interventions and convergence of other programmes for social and financial empowerment of SHG members

The following activities have been undertaken to support the nurturing and strengthening of SHGs:

• Digitization of SHG accounts in the district (Bank wise, branch wise)
• Training of SHG members for data entry using E-Shakti Software
• Training to SHG members for cashless transactions
• Identification and training of animators
• Uploading of SHG data onto the website www.eshakti.nabard.org
• Re-trainings
• Monitoring and follow up

From February 2021, VHSF started E-Shakti Digitization of three WSHGs, which has been successful and ongoing process.