Resumo - EN
In India self-help groups (SHGs) play a significant role in achieving the development goals, especially in the rural areas. In Tamil Nadu, self-help groups are functioning as institutions of social change by promoting confidence among the rural women through training on accounting, repayments on time, book maintenance, women leadership, speaking with bank officials and gathering information on banking procedures, setting up Bye-laws for their own groups and following them, etc. Many Groups are linked with local Banks and the financial goal of the rural poor is met with the self-disciplined model of development. This paper attempts to conduct an in-depth study on the role of self-help groups in promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy through a community-based participative research method. The study focuses on various types of Income generation activities promoted by the self-help groups. The study also attempts to understand the role of supportive functional organization like Banks and NGOs and the problems faced by the self-help groups. Mainstreaming these models in terms of supportive policies, easy procedures and Tax exemptions will help the country achieve the Development goals. The study also attempts to review the efforts of the government in reducing the gap thereby to promote sustainable Development Goals in the real sense.