:: VIKASH :: Livelihood :- Krushak Nidhi

Credit is an essential need for starting small enterprises for livelihood. The real poor households and particularly women cannot have access to the mainstream banks for saving small deposits or availing credit. Vikash, as a sustainable development facilitator, has initiated the formation of a micro-finance institution called Krushak Nidhi (farmers’ asset) in 1995. It is basically a three-tier micro-finance cooperative institution with self-help groups at village level, cluster at area level and federation at state level. The institution with its primary formation existing in the villages and hamlets extends savings and credit facilities. Its specific objectives are as follows:-

To raise the savings potentiality of women.
To enhance the capacity of women leaders for managing credit.
To empower women as a vulnerable group both socially and economically.
To liberate poor families from unscrupulous money lenders.
To extend credit facilities.

Krushak Nidhi operates in five tribal and coastal districts of Orissa: Puri, Khurda, Koraput Kandhamal and Cuttack. Data showing the savings and credits mobilised by the members is given below. Savings are collected by the organiser at village level once a month and usually range from Rs.20-100 per person. The organisation has three types of credit facilities: emergency, general and scheme based loans.

This unique banking scheme model is particularly popular because it is simple, transparent and easy to access. There is a high demand on loans which is enabling more and more people to set up and secure new enterprises and thereby securing their family’s future.

Krushak Nidhi has already registered 2 of its clusters as cooperatives and aims to register the whole structure to a cooperative institution.

The table below gives the list of existing clusters/unions district wise.

As on June 2003

Sl.No	District	Cluster	No’s of Group	Members	Savings	Credit extended
1	I. Puri	Bamanal	50	612	210858	172355
2		Balanga	77	799	160352	193590
3		Khellar	124	1595	509786	481090
4		Nimapada	57	715	154171	87298
5		Banamalipur	31	415	43424	7800
6		Ganeswarpur	51	594	50340	856433
7		Nagpur	65	1007	336661.8	244441.5
8		Jaunlipokhari	96	1080	450013	393530
9		Puri	6	43	18920	500
10		Kundura	126	1784	1216945	1079516
11		Konark	93	1326	197718	641204
12		Charichhak	60	728	205204.5	98100
13		Bangurigaon	93	1119	329880	547050
14		Kakatpur	75	832	267472	321719
15		Nayahat	80	879	276794.3	240029
16		Pipili	1	20	620	0
17		Astaranga	1	385	85260	0
18		Ghurudia	2	49	540	0
19	II. Khurda	Khurda	79	1145	381492.4	249960
20		Jatani	72	998	515766	260282
21		Kanti	138	1474	1031264	894204
22		Mendhasal	51	565	235811.7	217380
23	III. Koraput	Hikimput	61	732	217140	143790
24		Maliput	86	1154	303457	308610
25		Similiguda	107	1620	559637.2	370365
26		Dokriput	34	437	121721	141950
27		Kakirighuma	24	290	50555	0
28	IV. Kondhamal	Budaguda	41	456	91700	61871
29		Simonbadi	4	78	6425	91070
30	V. Cuttack	Niali	5	89	9960	0
	Total		1801	23020	8039889	8104138

Present Status

As On June 2003

Sl.No.	Title	Achievements
1.	No. of Members	24,039
2.	No. of Groups	1798
3.	Amount of Savings mobilized	Rs. 7779752