Vol. 5, Issue 12, Part F (2019)

Abstract
Poverty alleviation and women empowerment are the central priorities in India. The year 2001, Government of India declared it as the year of “Women Empowerment”. In order to lend support to this initiative, the Government of Karnataka introduced several schemes with the intention of upliftment of the poor and empowerment of women. The Stree Shakthi Programme (SSP) is one such scheme. It was introduced in the year 2000-2001 and has been a success story till date. The present study examines the profile and impact of the programme on the beneficiaries. The primary data is collected using an interview schedule among 145 rural women from three villages in Ramanagarataluk of Ramanagara district of Karnataka. The findings of the study revealed that SSP has motivated women to start their own income generating activity by providing credit facility for its group member’s. It has also made them economically independent thereby leading to empowerment. The study suggests policy makers to rework and update on the policies of SSP to bring in more awareness among the marginalized women who have not yet been a part of this movement.