Sl.No       Good Average Poor Very poor Objectively Verifiable Indicators Remarks
16. Book keeping and Documentation

 

 All books uptodate and correctly maintained.

Bookwriter from within SHG or hired locally and paid by SHG out of its own funds.

All books in safe custody of SHG (not in Project Office)

All books readily available for scrutiny of members and other authorised persons 

All members aware of importance of book-keeping

 All books opened but only some are maintained and updated.

Sketchy documentation of Minutes, so Minutes Book cannot be called as ‘Mother Book’.

Bookwriter not very competent.

All members not fully aware of the importance of book keeping.

Books are in safe custody with SHG and available for scrutiny.

 Major books only opened.

Not well maintained or regularly updated.

Members are dominated  by bookwriter, who may or may not be fully competent in book keeping.

Books in custody of book writer, even if not a member of the SHG. Supporting bills, etc. often not traceable. Staff effort is more in ensuring that atleast few basic books are kept.

 Very few (basic minimum) books opened.

Incomplete documen-tation, & books updated only due to staff effort. In some cases, staff are writing the books.

No concern for the safety of books and records. Most members not even aware of the need for book keeping and where the books are.

Supporting documents frequently not traceable.

 

 Physical verification of books

Discussions with bookwriters and members

 

 The books to be maintaintained are 
· Admission Book

· Minutes Book

· Attendance Book

· Cash Book

· General Ledger

· Savings Ledger

· Loan Ledger

· Bank Pass Book

· Individual Pass Books

· Receipts Vchrs.

· Payments Vchrs

· L.C.Register Stock Book (if applicable)

17. Audits  Need for audit understood by SHG.

Annual Audits conducted and paid for by SHG from own funds. Audit Reports discussed in presence of all members. Audit actions taken. Audit Reports properly filed and readily available.

Need for audit not fully understood, but SHG co-operates with Project when audits are arranged and even pays for it.

Audit Reports properly filed.

Staff initiative needed to discuss audit findings and take appropriate action. .

Need for audits not understood. Staff have to make the efforts to get things ready for audit, arrange for it,& pay for it atleast in part.

Compliance level low. Findings are not disccussed unless staff insist. Not much action taken on the findings.

 

 Audit concept itself is not clear, much less the need for audit.

Only staff and book writer are involved in the entire audit process. 

Findings may be read due to staff effort, but no one is interested to listen or to act on them. 

Compliance level very low.

Discussions with members and Project Staff.

Minutes Book

Previous Audit

Reports and review notes, if any.

 

 Audits reinforce the credibility of the SHG, and the fact that the SHG is an ‘informal’ group

should not come in

the way of

conducting audits by

competent persons.

Chartered

Accountants based

in nearby towns can

be engaged for this.

 
18. Training

programmes

 

 Members are aware of the usefulness of training, and eager to participate. At times they even ask for it.

Attendance at every training session is more than 90%.

Members do not expect cash compensations for attending training. 

Absent members may even be censured/fined.

Recall of training contents is good.

Attendance at any given training session is around 75%.

No cash compensations for attending training.

Absent  members may be censured but are rarely fined.

Recall of training contents is partial. 

Average attendance at training programmes is around 50%. 

Absent members are neither censured nor fined.

Staff have to put in repeated efforts to mobilise members.

Recall of training contents is partial.

Attendance improves if cash incentives are given.

Average attendance is less than 50%, that too, with a lot of staff effort.

Absence at  trainings is never a matter of concern.

Members demand cash compensation to attend training.

Recall of training contents is very poor, even among those who have attended.

 

 Discussions with members.

Minutes Book

Project training records.

 

 Trainings are usually organised by the Project. All training arrangements including faculty, materials, and food are paid by the Project. However, members are not compensated for loss of wages, if any, to attend trainings. 

Partial payment for trainings by the SHGs is slowly being explored.

MYRADA specifies

12 basic training topics for each SHG, spread over 18 to 24 months.
19.  Planning, Implementing,

Monitoring, and Evaluating programmes

 

 All members fully understand the need and the processes.

Responsibilities are well distributed among members, and responsibly discharged.

 

 Understanding of these processes and sharing of responsibilities is limited to some members and representatives, who do a reasonably good job.

 

 Members take responsibility only if repeated pressure is brought on them by Staff. Then too, the representatives are expected to do most of the work. Output quality not upto expectations. Not much interest in these processes 

Promoter/Staff have to bear almost all the load. Output quality depends only on them.

 

 Minutes Book

Case studies and reports, if any Discussions with members and Project Staff

 

 Programmes are usually initiated by the Project, but a good SHG can get completely involved in all the processes including making sure that the programme fulfils its (the SHG’s) agenda rather than the Project’s agenda.
20.  Social Actions and Community Action Programmes

 

 Self-initiated involvement, including budgeting, fund-raising (including  Project contributions), planning, implementing, monitoring, and follow-up.  

Programmes are initiated to serve the interests SHG members and the community.

 

 Self-initiated involvement or good response to external initiative, but funding dependence may be more on the Project.

Inadequate management and follow-up

No internal initiative.

Responds only to external initiative.

Therefore, agenda may also be based on external assessment of the need for such action, rather than internally experienced by the SHG members themselves. Little involvement in management and follow-up.

 

 No internal initiative.

Poor response to external initiative, unless all the funding is also taken care of by the external party.  

No concern for management and follow-up

 

 Minutes Book Discussions with members

 

 Since community action programmes involve money, the SHG may not always be able to achieve it on its own. Outside investments are frequently necessary.

However, the initiative to act can very well come from the SHG.

 
21.  Education, Literacy, and Numeracy

 

 All  SHG members know how to sign their own names (learnt after joining SHG)

Atleast 70% members are able to read basic numbers (learnt after joining SHG)  

All members with children in school- going age are sending their children to school

70% members or more know how to sign their names (learnt after joining SHG) 50% members or more know how to read basic numbers (learnt after joining SHG)  

75% members with school age children are sending their children to school

Around 50% members have learnt how to sign their own names.

Around 30% members have learnt to identify basic numbers

Around 50% members with school age children are sending their children to school 

Less than 50% members know, or are even interested to know, how to sign their own names. 

Hardly anyone has learnt to identify basic numbers

 Less than 50% members with school age children are sending their children to school

 

 Random tests with signatures and numbers Discussions with members.

 

 Since many SHG members are either in the older age group or having to work long hours for wages, it is unlikely that they will attend literacy classes. 

But signing their names is both easy to learn and enhances confidence.

Learning numbers is important. Sending children to school is MOST important.

 

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