Financial Inclusion

CDECS recognizes financial inclusion as a critical lever for poverty alleviation and socio-economic empowerment. Through targeted interventions, the organization has facilitated community access to formal financial services, enhanced financial literacy, and supported sustainable livelihood generation. The following four pillars define CDECS’s approach to financial inclusion:

A. Strengthening Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

CDECS has mobilized and nurtured women-led Self-Help Groups across various districts, particularly in tribal and marginalized communities. These SHGs serve as grassroots financial institutions promoting savings and internal lending practices.

Key Interventions:

Formation and regular capacity building of SHGs
Facilitating savings-linkages and credit-linkages with banks and MFIs
Training SHG leaders in bookkeeping, microfinance principles, and digital record-keeping
Promoting inter-loaning practices for enterprise, healthcare, and household needs

SHGs have evolved as vehicles of both economic empowerment and social solidarity.

B. Financial Literacy & Behavior Change Communication

Recognizing the gap in financial awareness, especially among women and youth, CDECS has conducted community-level financial literacy campaigns.

Focus Areas:

Understanding savings, budgeting, and interest
Introduction to banking services: ATM, UPI, online banking, Jan Dhan accounts
Awareness on insurance schemes (PMJJBY, PMSBY) and pension options (Atal Pension Yojana)
Use of digital payment platforms and mobile wallets
Preventing over-indebtedness and reducing dependence on informal moneylenders

These programs aimed to build informed financial decision-makers in rural settings.

C. Linking Communities with Financial Institutions

CDECS acts as a bridge between rural communities and formal financial systems to enhance accessibility to institutional credit and government welfare.

Key Activities:

Organizing financial inclusion camps in partnership with banks, NABARD, and government departments
Supporting opening of zero-balance accounts, issuing RuPay cards, Aadhaar seeding, and credit counseling
Promoting access to micro-credit for livelihood activities, particularly for women, small farmers, and artisans
Facilitating loan application processes under schemes such as NRLM, MUDRA, and Stand-Up India

This linkage support has helped marginalized families become active participants in the formal economy.

D. Promoting Community-Based Financial Models

CDECS has piloted and supported community-led financial systems such as Village Saving & Loan Associations (VSLAs) and community investment funds.

Initiatives Include:

Facilitating the setup and monitoring of community financial cooperatives
Introducing revolving funds and thrift groups for income-generating activities
Encouraging community-managed risk mitigation through informal insurance and emergency fund mechanisms
Capacity building of local committees to manage financial operations transparently and sustainably

These decentralized models empower communities to manage their financial resources with greater autonomy and resilience.