Social Inclusion and Self Help Groups: Myth or Reality?

Financial and social inclusion are emerging as critical facilitators of economic growth and development that significantly drive away poverty. The purpose of this paper is to model and quantify the link between financial and social inclusion. Data were collected, and the hypotheses of this study were analysed using PLS-SEM through SmartPLS software. The findings from the study showed that financial inclusion has a significant and positive effect on social inclusion. Given the limited existing research on this topic, this paper contributes by establishing connections between distinct dimensions of financial and social inclusion, offering guidance for future research. The insights gleaned from this study can assist financial service providers, policymakers, and regulators in crafting more effective financial products and social inclusion policies aimed at serving marginalised communities.

Over the years many efforts were made to improve the status of financial inclusion of people. Financial inclusion measures access and usage of financial products such as deposits, loans, insurance products and quality of financial services. Financial inclusion is the process of providing financial services to the people who are outside the formal financial system. High levels of financial inclusion improve economic development and equitable distribution of wealth. This study focuses on status of financial inclusion among Dalit women in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. It was found that education level of the people; government initiatives such as general credit card, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana; satisfaction of the self-help group model; financial practices and financial literacy were positively and significantly associated with financial inclusion. Usage of non-bank agencies and cultural barriers were negative and insignificant.

In the era of globalization and rapid digital transformation, e-commerce has emerged as a significant driver of business expansion by enabling producers and sellers to access markets beyond geographical boundaries. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which contribute nearly 40 percent to India’s GDP and rank as the second-largest source of employment after agriculture, play a pivotal role in promoting inclusive economic growth. In Karnataka, particularly in Dakshina Kannada district, MSMEs constitute the backbone of rural industrialization and employment generation. This study examines the role of e-commerce in promoting rural MSMEs in Dakshina Kannada district and further analyzes how digital platforms enhance market access, improve price realization, encourage women-led entrepreneurship, and foster financial inclusion. The major findings indicate that e-commerce has significantly expanded market reach, strengthened rural producer networks, and generated new employment opportunities through digital engagement and supply chain integration. The study concludes that e-commerce represents a transformative instrument for rural economic development in Dakshina Kannada. With coordinated support from government agencies, digital platforms, and local institutions, rural MSMEs can leverage digital markets to achieve sustainable growth, enhance competitiveness, and contribute more effectively to regional and state economic development. Keywords: E-commerce, MSMEs, Dakshina Kannada, and Karnataka

Digital divide and social inclusion in rural area are important social and economic issues. Mobile platform is regarded as a new information and communication technology (ICT) to motivate villagers inner strength, achieve digital divide elimination and social inclusion. Based on the case of WeCountry in Chinese rural area, this study illustrates how mobile platform bridge digital divide and empower villagers in rural governance. Results show that: (1) mobile platform has functions of village management, affective interaction and e-commerce; (2) according to different types, mobile platform can empower villagers in structural, psychological and resource dimensions; (3) platform provider and government help the empowerment process as the technology supplier and platform regulator, and politic pusher, respectively; (4) through empowerment, there are three dimensions of social inclusion can be achieved: political inclusion, social participation inclusion and economic inclusion, which result in digital divide elimination. This paper concludes with the theoretical and practical implications.

Background: Spiders play an indispensable role as natural regulators of insect populations, thereby maintaining ecological balance. Among these, spiders (order Araneae) represent one of the most diverse and ecologically significant groups, yet their study has often been marginalised due to research biases and a perceived lack of appeal. Aim: The present study aimed to document the taxonomic diversity and ecological guild structure of spiders (Araneae) across Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India, highlighting their ecological roles and biogeographical distribution. Methodology: A three-year field survey employing systematic quadrat-based sampling and active search techniques was conducted to assess species richness, genus diversity, and functional guild composition. Sampling was carried out across seven taluks of Dakshina Kannada—Bantwal, Belthangady, Puttur, Mangalore, Moodabidri, Sulya, and Kadaba—including forest reserves and adjoining natural habitats, between September 2019 and September 2022. Specimens were collected using hand-picking, foliage beating, and ground-litter inspection, then preserved and identified to the adult stage using standard taxonomic keys and the World Spider Catalogue. Field photography supported morphological documentation. Data analysis focused on species richness, genus diversity, infraorder representation, and ecological guild classification (e.g., ambush hunters, web-builders, active hunters, and burrowers). Results: A total of 179 genera in 25 families of Araneomorphae, along with three families and six genera of Mygalomorphae, were recorded. Genera such as Leucauge, Neoscona, Tetragnatha, Poltys, and Thelacantha exhibited high species richness, reflecting adaptations to prey availability and habitat complexity. Ecological guild analysis revealed a broad spectrum of functional roles, from ground-dwelling burrowers and ambush predators to visually oriented jumping spiders and specialised web-builders. Distribution patterns spanned multiple biogeographical zones, indicating both local specialisation and widespread dispersal. Conclusion: Dakshina Kannada emerges as a biodiversity hotspot for spiders, with significant taxonomic richness and ecological versatility. Spiders function as key predators, contributing to ecosystem stability and natural pest regulation. The study provides a baseline for conservation planning, ecological monitoring, and future research on habitat-specialist species, emphasising the need to protect structurally complex habitats and integrate taxonomic, ecological, and behavioural perspectives for comprehensive biodiversity management.

Access to finance is essential not only for maintaining and improving the social and economic status of a person but also for meeting all needs. Without holding a valid account in any authorized financial institution, people are unable to save for future purchases, or child education, or invest after retirement and tend to avoid high interest payments and fees. The participation of the vulnerable and disadvantaged in formal financial system can boost financial and social inclusion. This chapter reports empirical findings of investigation by analyzing selected variables and financial inclusion in the Indian context. Moreover, the chapter estimates relationship between financial inclusion and different variables selected in the study at macro concept. Determinants of financial inclusion and disparity across regions and states in India are dealt broadly in this chapter. Key findings and their interpretations are also discussed at last in this chapter.KeywordsFinancial inclusionDeterminantsRegional disparityPrincipal component analysisBivariate regression analysisMultiple regression analysis

There are special relations between financial inclusion and social inclusion with the latter being one of the best addressed when people have access to financial services. This paper explores effects of financial access on poverty, while incorporating moderation effects by years of schooling. Therefore, this study utilizes unbalanced panel data of 17 lower-middle-income countries itself and both the above mentioned static and dynamic panel model to conduct a strict panel data analyse. The analysis of data, employing the Composite Financial Inclusion Index (CFII) as an instrument to assess financial inclusion, shows that the level of financial inclusion and poverty in these countries are negatively related and sharply influenced. Also, the study discovers that there is a positive correlation between the financial inclusion, and Poverty reduction after controlling the effects of education attainment. They provide useful recommendations for policymakers, institutions dealing with money, and governments. First, financial services must be brought nearer to the poor populations which can reduce poverty level in the society. Second, a subsequent improvement of the education level is required to achieve the best results for financial inclusion on poverty reduction.

Dakshina Kannada is one of the districts of Karnataka state of India with high incidences of mosquito-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue. The larval stages of the mosquitoes are very important in determining the prevalence of adult mosquitoes and associated diseases. Hence, the occurrence of mosquito species was investigated by sampling different water bodies present in the Dakshina Kannada district from June 2014 to May 2017. Random sampling was carried out from permanent and temporary, artificial and natural water bodies belonging to 11 types of microhabitats using dippers and suction pumps. A maximum of 37 mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were recorded with the dominant genera being Culex. Most species have been recorded from temporary bodies of water with the highest number of species in receptacles. Monsoon is the most productive season, both in terms of occurrence and abundance followed by post-monsoon and pre-monsoon. The abundance of mosquito larvae was significantly higher in temporary water bodies compared to the permanent. Abundant rainfall in the study area which produces many natural and domestic temporary water bodies accounts for mosquito breeding throughout the year.

The rattans of Peninsular India belong to only one genus namely Calamus and of the 21 species reported here, 20 are from the western Ghats Forests. Of these, the status of Calamus delessertianus and Calamus rheedei is uncertain and of the remaining 18 species 15 are endemic to the Western Ghats. Among the five states falling within the jurisdiction of the Western Ghats, Karnataka has the maximum number of Calamus species (13), of which 11 are endemic to the Western Ghats. Of these, three species namely, Calamus lacciferus, Calamus lakshmanae and Calamus prasinus are restricted only to Karnataka Region of the Western Ghats. Of the 13 species of Calamus occurring in Karnataka, 12 are found in Kodagu District. Studies undertaken to determine the status of rattans in some cane rich forests of Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada Districts of Karnataka by belt transect method have revealed that Sampaje, Karike and Makut in Kodagu District, Subramanya and Charmadi in Dakshina Kannada District and Anantavadi (Honnavar) in Uttara Kannada District are rich in some species of rattans including those endemic to the Western Ghats. The population of C. lakshmanae (restricted only to Karnataka) is high in Sampaje Forest, C. prasinus (restricted only to Karnataka) is high in Karike Forest and Calamus stoloniferus (restricted to Karnataka and Maharashtra) is very high in Makut Forest of Kodagu District. In Dakshina Kannada District, Calamus nagabettai is well distributed in about 25 km radius around Subramanya, while Charmadi area possesses a rich population of Calamus thwaitesii and fairly good representations of C. prasinus, C. pseudotenuis and C. nagabettai. The density of population of Calamus karnatakensis (restricted to Karnataka and Goa) is very high in Anantavadi Forests near Honnavar.

All life, particularly human, cannot be sustainable, unless complimented with shelter, poverty reduction, provision of basic infrastructure and services, equal opportunities and social justice. Yet, in the context of cities, it is believed that they can accommodate more and more people, endlessly, regardless to their carrying capacity and increasing ecological footprint. The 'inclusion', for bringing more and more people in the purview of development is often limited to social and economic inclusion rather than spatial and ecological inclusion. Economic investment decisions are also not always supported with spatial planning decisions. Most planning for a sustainable Earth, be at a level of rural settlement, city, region, national or Global, fail on the capacity and capability fronts. In India, for example, out of some 8,000 towns and cities, Master Plans exist for only about 1,800. A chapter on sustainability or environment is neither statutorily compulsory nor a norm for these Master Plans. Geospatial technologies including Remote Sensing, GIS, Indian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), Indian National Urban Information Systems (NUIS), Indian Environmental Information System (ENVIS), and Indian National GIS (NGIS), etc. have potential to map, analyse, visualize and take sustainable developmental decisions based on participatory social, economic and social inclusion. Sustainable Earth, at all scales, is a logical and natural outcome of a digitally mapped, conceived and planned Earth. Digital Earth, in fact, itself offers a platform to dovetail the ecological, social and economic considerations in transforming it into a sustainable Earth.

Modern society is currently experiencing strong influences in the 21st-century that are shaping culture, structure and various institutional features. Although modern rational value systems supersede traditional ones, some traditional and modern values still coexist. The blurring of the modern-traditional values dichotomy is the result, even now in the Malaysian corporate world, shaping corporate and economic behaviour and practices. The social inclusion and exclusion of women in board directorship are influenced by traditional values as much as modern values, hence challenging male board dominance. Based on a qualitative research methodology, this paper discusses some empirical findings. Semi-structured interviews with 17 male and female directors from public-listed (PLCs) and private companies in Malaysia found the coexistence of traditional and modern values and related aspects that have enabled women to get appointed, empowered, and sustain their appointment on the PLCs boards. Modern values like rationality, efficiency, meritocracy, professionalism, and individuality coexist with traditional personalism, trust, loyalty and patriarchy (notably male status quo dominance). These values are portrayed through hard and soft skills, technical and practical business knowledge, some personality traits and professional business and work experiences. This social inclusion and exclusion aspects will drive the rise, withdrawal, exit or even avoidance of women as company directors of PLCs in Malaysia. This blurring dichotomy argument may hold for as long as the society subscribes to the coexistence of modern and traditional values systems in modern corporate Malaysia.

Microfinance is the most experimented philosophy in today’s era. It has infact become a strategic tool for financial inclusion as well. The quantitative growth of microfinance in India mainly through Self Help Groups (SHG) is quiet evident from various studies and reports. Self Help Groups are emerging as a popular vehicle of microfinance. Substantial majority of these groups are women SHGs. In India of more than 61 lakhs of SHGs formed under the NABARD’s SHG-Bank Linkage programme, almost 83% are women SHGs. They are used largely for poverty alleviation. However, various studies reveal that SHGs can supplement empowerment equally. SHGs are providing financial orientation and benefits to the participants. Obviously, this leads to economic empowerment of the members. In addition the group mechanism is assumed to be useful for social empowerment also. The dynamics of this philosophy is studied recently with some positive results. An attempt is made to understand the impact of SHGs on women empowerment. The study also focuses on examining the role of certain factors (influencers) in affecting empowerment.

Effect of Economic Growth, Human Development, and Governance Factors on Financial Inclusion; A Cross Country Comparative Analysis

Introduction: Stuttering, a fluency disorder causes a negative impact on an individual’s educational, occupational, and social experiences. Based on the review of the previous literatures it was found that the school population exhibited 5% lifetime incidence and 1% stuttering prevalence. Aim: To assess the awareness and attitude of teachers towards primary school children with stuttering. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in primary schools in Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, using Convenient sampling. A total of 70 teachers who are currently teaching primary school children were selected. A questionnaire was developed which had three sections. For the purpose of validation, the developed questionnaire was given to seven experienced speech language pathologists. Later, these speech language pathologists were asked to rate the relevance of each section and questions on a 5-point rating scale. Based on the average ratings, content validity index was calculated. Later each of the participants was given a copy of the questionnaire and was asked to rate it based on the response format provided. On the basis of obtained scores, internal consistency and test-retest reliability was estimated by using the statistical test Cronbach’s alpha and analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 20.0. R esults: Questions regarding the teachers’ awareness towards stuttering received an average score of 63.16%. For teachers’ attitude, a score of 55.7% and a score of 48.5% for the teacher’s perception regarding the students’ interaction with the children who stutter were obtained. C onclusion: The present study indicates that teachers are aware about the development of speech and language patterns, the common errors that can occur during the developmental period which in turn helps them to differentiate stuttering from normal non-fluency. Therefore, understanding teacher’s attitudes resolve them in mounting special consideration and making appropriate referral for intervention of the children.

<i>Background and objectives:</i> Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cancer in Indian women. This study examined relationships between demographic variables of women in rural Vitla and urban areas of Mangalore, Moodbidri and Puttur in Dakshina Kannada District and their awareness of BC screening policy, BC and health insurance. The objectives were to know if rural women have adequate knowledge of BC screening. <i>Methods:</i> 100 women cashew factory workers in Vitla were given an oral questionnaire in Kannada and 65 women from urban areas of Mangalore, Moodbidri and Puttur were given the questionnaire in English. <i>Results:</i> Answer sets were analysed, results indicated no significant correlation between respondents’ education and awareness about BC Screening, Self-Examination (BSE) and government screening policies in Vitla (Dakshina Kannada). No relationship was observed between age and awareness. Women in Vitla (Mangalore is 40 km away from Vitla), were aware of BC and had Ayushman Bharat cover; yet they had no idea about screening or its policy but agreed to screen if motivated. All urban women had received higher education, some had heard of BC screening and had health insurance yet were unwilling to screen. Others had not heard of screening but were willing to go. <i>Interpretation and conclusions: </i>India has a 2016 Government policy to screen BC which has not reached all rural women. It must be implemented effectively as early diagnoses and detection can reduce mortality in BC.