Micro-finance refers to small savings, credit and insurance services extended to socially and economically disadvantaged segments of society. Indian context terms like “Small and Marginal Farmers”, “Economically weaker sections “have been used to broadly define micro-finance customer. Large part of micro finance activities is confined to credit.

Large size and population of around 1000 million, India’s GDP ranks among top 15 economies of world.Around300 million people or about 60 million households are living below the poverty line. Group of micro finance practitioners estimated the annualize credit usages of all poor families about Rs45000crores of which some 80 percent is met by informal sources. Credit on reasonable terms to poor can bring a significant reduction in poverty. About 60 million households below or just above the austerely defined poverty line and with more than 80 percent unable to access credit at reasonable rate. There are certain issues and problems which have prevented reach of microfinance to needy.

MICRO FINANCE AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Micro finance institution have expanded frontiers of institutional finance and have brought the poor, especially poor women into formal finance system and enabled them to access credit and fight poverty. Some significant strides have made in upscalling the large quantities of microfinance, observed that microfinance had an asymmetric growth across country with diverse rate of interest being charge to member which are area of concern.

The lack of access to credit for the poor is attributable to practical difficulties arising from the discrepancy between the mode of operation followed by financial institution and the economic characteristics and financing needs of low-income household. The income of many self-employed households is not stable, regardless of it size. Large numbers of small loans are needed to serve the poor, but lenders prefer dealing with large loans in small numbers to minimize administration costs. They also look collateral with a clear title which many low-income households do not have.

To the extent that Microfinance Institution becomes financially viable, self sustaining and integral to the communities in which they operate, they have the potential to attract more resources and expand services to clients. Despite the success of microfinance institutions only about 2% of world’s roughly 500 million small entrepreneurs is estimated to have access to financial services. Microfinance institution can broaden their resource base by mobilizing savings, accessing capital markets, loan funds and effective institutional development support. Saving facilities to tap small saving in a flexible manner.

Microfinance institution are engaged in deposit taking in order to mobilize household saving, they became financial intermediaries. Consequently financial regulations become necessary to ensure the solvency and financial soundness of institution and to protect the depositors. Excessive regulations that do not consider the nature of microfinance institution and their operation can hamper their viability.