SRINAGAR: Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across the country owe banks over Rs 3.04 lakh crore, with nearly 1.74 per cent of this amount now classified as non-performing assets (NPA), according to official data tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 11.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, citing National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) figures, said that as of March 31, 2025, loans amounting to Rs 3,04,258.74 crore were outstanding against 84.94 lakh SHGs. During the financial year 2024-25 alone, banks disbursed Rs 2,08,282.67 crore in fresh loans to 55.57 lakh SHGs under the Self-Help Group–Bank Linkage Programme (SHG-BLP).
To improve access to credit for the rural poor, including in Chhattisgarh, the government has implemented several measures. Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), all women SHGs receive interest subvention to reduce the effective cost of bank credit. Credit guarantee coverage is provided through schemes such as the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU) and the Credit Guarantee Fund for Stand-Up India (CGFSI), covering loans for manufacturing, services, retail trade, allied agriculture, and for SC/ST and women entrepreneurs in specified loan brackets.
Despite these measures, NABARD data show that the gross NPA ratio for SHG loans stood at 1.74 per cent at the end of March 2025, indicating that a significant portion of SHG borrowers are in default.
