Development of Multidimensional Sustainability Index for Women Self-Help Group Members in Rural Tamil Nadu
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Authors
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Divya Shanumuga Sundaram
SRM College of Agricultural Sciences
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Rajasekaran Ramakrishnan
SRM College of Agricultural Sciences
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Muhammed Iqshanullah Abdul Kadar
SRM College of Agricultural Sciences
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Sathaiah Manimuthu
SRM College of Agricultural Sciences
Keywords:
Agricultural Extension , Self Help GroupAbstract
The significant role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in improving rural livelihoods and women’s socio-economic status, limited empirical evidence exists on their multidimensional sustainability. A Multidimensional Sustainability Index (MSI) was constructed by utilizing PCA for examining the sustainability of women SHG members of Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu for 2025-2026. A multi-stage random sampling method was employed to collect the data from 320 women SHG members. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (0.806) and the significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (= 3933.704, df= 780, p<0.001) indicated that the data was suitable for PCA analysis. Seven components contributed 53.04 percent of total variance. The average score of MSI was 0.5103 which suggested moderate sustainability. The weights contributing to the MSI was maximum in Financial Inclusion and Economic Sustainability (0.239) followed by Social Empowerment (0.148) and Managerial and Capacity Development (0.142). The study concluded that the proposed MSI provided a reliable framework for assessing the sustainability of women SHGs.
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