Role of Agricultural Credit in the Prosperity of Scheduled Castes

This microlevel study in two villages in western UP attempts to asses the efficacy of the credit driven economic assistance programmes of the Government in ameliorating poverty and improving the socio-economic conditions of Scheduled Castes. The focus of enquiry is on availability of information to the Scheduled Caste poor, the pattern of credit disbursal and end-use, repayment performance and incremental income generation. The dynamics of rural poverty and the inter play of local politics and, middlemen in the credit delivery system in rural India clearly emerge from the study.