Political empowerment through Microfinance: A comparative study of two groups of Dalit women residing in rural villages of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

A concept which is highly contextual and volatile is empowerment. It therefore should be used in the most attentive way. Empowerment is a broad term and therefore, it must be well conceptualized beforehand. Care must be taken to conceptualize and contextualize the Individual, the person or the group that has been taken for empowerment study. It is so because empowerment for one person may be otherwise for another. In this paper effect of microfinance on Poltical Empowerment of Dalit women residing in three rural villages of Chandauli Districts have been studied on the basis of selected Indicators. It is a comparative study; the comparison has been done between Dalit women who have taken part in microfinance activity henceforth called participant group and Dalit women who never took part in any microfinance activity henceforth will be called non participants group. Total three hundred Dalit women from three villages of chandauli district were part of the study. It was found that the microfinance activity has enhanced the political understanding and participation of Dalit women in political activities. A combined action of microfinance Institution and Panchayati raj can act as catalyst in the process of political empowerment.