MYRADA No.2, Service Road
Domlur Layout
BANGALORE 560 071. INDIA.
Rural Management Systems Series
Paper - 16
phone : 5353166, 5354457, 5352028
Fax : 091 - 80 - 5350982
E-mail : myrada@blr.vsnl.net.in
Website : http://www.myrada.org

Undated, 1986

GUIDELINES FOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
IN MYRADA CREDIT MANAGEMENT GROUPS

The criteria for defining CMGs as good or otherwise have been outlined in detail elsewhere (Celebrating Awareness, MYRADA RMS Paper 15). Stages in the progression of CMGs towards becoming fully functional have also been separately delineated by various MYRADA projects.

MYRADA's role in this process of building up functional CMGs is one that has to actively promote certain features and equally actively discourage certain others in order to create meaningful systems, procedures and behaviour patterns. 

LOAN RELATED

PROMOTE

DISCOURAGE

1. All loan applications must be addressed to the Sangha and not to the office bearers of the Sangha. 1. Few members must not be allowed to repeatedly corner all loans.
2. All loan applications must be scrutinised and approved, modified or rejected in Sangha meetings only, and minuted accordingly 2. Large loans per member must not be permitted until the CMG is financially strong and has systems of administration that are adequate to motivate and guide behaviour.
3. Repayment schedules must be finalised and minuted when loans are disbursed.  3. The practice of deciding on loans, seeing how much money there is in the CMG and asking MYRADA to meet the deficit is not credit management; it should be discouraged at all costs.
4. Loans must not be disbursed to persons (substitutes) other than the Sangha member who has actually applied for it. 4. Service charges on loans must be clearly differentiated from recoveries, regularly recovered and entered as such in the books 
5. Promissory notes obtained by many CMGs for large loans should be between the CMG and the member

 6. Loans (cash or cheques) must be disbursed only at Sangha meetings. 

7. The practice of giving a second loan before the first is repaid should be carefully assessed, particularly if there are overdue installments.

FUND MANAGEMENT RELATED

PROMOTE

DISCOURAGE

1. Frequent rotation of common fund for diverse purposes signifies an active CMG.  1. Large sums of money lying unutilised for long periods represents "process blocks" that have to be analysed and cleared.
2. Fund management becomes responsible when it consists of the members own hard earned money. Therefore, project contributions should take care that the balance between members money and project money facilitates rather than destroys responsible behaviour. (There are examples where: (1) Project contributions have made members take careless decisions which they would not take with their own money. (2) Members have rotated only the project money, keeping their own savings intact.)   2. Large amounts of money for infra- structure, community programmes, or even credit management should not be routed through the CMG since this can distort the working of the CMG to fund monitor rather than fund management.
3. All accounts should be in the name of the CMG itself, and not in the name of one or more members  3. No money transactions should be conducted outside the meetings, whether it relates to loan disbursals, collection of savings & repayments, or decisions with regard to using funds for community programmes.
4. Signatories to the CMG bank account must be rotated periodically.   4. MYRADA staff should not handle CMG money. Their role is only to support, advise, guide and train. They should not function as CMG office bearers; neither should they accept (even informally) to perform those functions that are expected to be performed by the CMG members themselves (eg., depositing money in the bank, making withdrawals, making purchases etc.)
5. Fund management tends to improve if CMGs display charts showing lists of members, loans, recoveries, overdues, balances and other activities.  5. No CMG member or office bearer should hold cash balances at any time.
6. All decisions regarding fund management and fund utilisation should be verifiable through the minutes of the CMG.  6. The possibility of members obtaining CMG funds at lower service charges & lending it to others at higher rates should be borne in mind while deciding on service charges.
7. A CMG should preferably have only one account for the common fund. The practice of keeping savings in one account and recoveries in another need not be discontinued but carefully assessed as to whether it fosters better management. 

8. CMG purchases should be handled by an appropriately appointed Purchase Committee.

  

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