Adhikar Microfinance

Adhikar Microfinance

Adhikar Microfinance helps poor communities to establish small businesses in the society. The beneficiaries include fishermen, artisans, farmers, small entrepreneurs, deprived communities etc.

Getting access to credit, sometimes, becomes difficult even for a salaried or self-employed professional. Imagine, how would a poor un-employed individual get a loan amidst enormous banking formalities? A large segment of people who live under poverty find it hard to get finance from established lending institutions. As the country aim for an inclusive growth at all sectors, the provision of micro credit is certainly a powerful tool that will bring financial inclusion.

Advantages and Features of Adhikar Microfinance

• Aimed at empowering poor women and their livelihood
• To improve the living conditions of the marginalised people
• To fund the small and micro business entrepreneurs
• Pension scheme for workers from the unorganised sectors
• Insurance scheme for the poor
• Loan for low-cost house building

Adhikar Microfinance Products and Services

Adhikar Microfinance provides to poor women the following products and services.

Income Generation Loan

Women, who are unable to access credit through formal banking system, can get financial help through income generation loan. Poor women, who are involved in micro businesses to support their family, are identified and given credit assistance. Adhikar Microfinance provides loan amount as per the repaying capacity of the borrower. If the customer has diligently repaid the loan, she is encouraged to borrower more to expand the business.

The repayments are collected at the doorstep of the borrowers by the agents assigned by Adhikar Microfinance.

Water Loan

Focusing on access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation, Adhikar Microfinance provides loans to women to improve the living conditions. The credit is provided at affordable interest rates for women to help their family live with a better sanitation. This product facilitates construction of toilets, installation of water pipes etc.

Low Cost House Building

The mission of this product to fund the poor people who are unable to build their own house. Under this scheme, the customers can get funding starting from INR 30,000 to up to INR 1 Lakh. The loan can be used to build a low-cost house for a comfortable living. The repayment can be done up to 36 instalments.

Energy Loan

Some interior villages in India do not have access to electricity. To help those marginalised section of community, Adhikar Microfinance offer loans to purchase solar lights. Additionally, the loan helps them buy solar cooking and solar energy based minor irrigation facilities as well.

Micro Insurance and Pension

Under this scheme, the poor people are covered under micro insurance in order to get a financial production. The benefit of the insurance is valid as long the tenure of the loan. The insurance premium will be 0.79% of the loan amount. The pay out made only at the death of the insured.

The National Pension Scheme aim to provide financial assistance to the poor people during their later stage of life. More than 5000 members are covered under this scheme. The beneficiaries are workers who are excluded from PF and CPF benefits in the unorganized sector. Construction workers, Anganwadi workers, weavers, fishermen, dairy workers etc. are covered under this scheme.

Eligibility Criteria for Adhikar Microfinance

Following are the eligibility criteria to get micro credit from Adhikar

• Should be women between 18 to 55 years of age
• Should be a Permanent resident of a village or slum
• Should be a joint liability group

Adhikar Microfinance Location

To apply for a loan with Adhikar Microfinance, you can contact them at their branches or the head office located in Odisha.

Head office Address

Adhikar Micro Finance Pvt. Ltd.

Plot 77/180/970, Subudhipur,

Tomando, Bhubaneswar - 752054,

Khordha, Odisha, India

You can also reach them out to register your feedback, complaint, grievance or query at adhikar(at)adhikarindia(dot)com.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism at Adhikar Microfinance

Adhikar Microfinance aims to provide resolution to their customers in a fair and timely manner. All the passbooks are provided with the telephone number of branch managers in order to contact them for any query and complaints. Customers can also call the helpline number 0674-2475173 for registering any complaint or grievances. Following steps can be followed in registering your compliant with the company.

Step 1: Complaint Register

The customers can directly walk in to the branch office and register the complaint by filling up the complaint form available.

Step 2: Letter of Correspondence

Any complaints received are redressed within 15 days. If not resolved within the timeline mentioned, it can be escalated with the customer grievance cell. The nodal officer can be contacted either via mail or at the Nodal office at the following address.

Nodal officer,

Adhikar Microfinance Pvt. Ltd.,

Plot no-77/180/970, Subudhipur, PO-Tamando,

Via-Janla,Dist-Khurda,

Bhubaneswar-752054,Orissa.

Email ID: adhikar(at)adhikarindia(dot)org

What Is Microfinance?

Microfinance is a type of banking service that is provided to unemployed or low-income individuals or groups especially people who have no access to credit in the formal banking system. Microfinance is an alternative to banks for people who live in remote villages of the country. The goal of micro credit companies is to provide a financial opportunity to poor people to become self-supportive and to those who did not have to avail formal credit. While microfinance is concentrated in the rural regions, it is also prevalent in urban poor, who have continued to be a segment that has been neglected by the organized form of banking.

Microfinance, an Alternative to Banks

Though India is experiencing a rapid growth at all sectors, there are still a certain percentage of people who are not covered by the formal banking system. Firstly, most of these people do not have a bank account and getting a loan from bank is even more a tough task.

Banks demand a steady source of income, worthy collateral, credit score etc. to provide a loan. People who have none of these have no chance of availing a credit to become self-supportive. More importantly banks require authenticated documents like ID proof, address proof, PAN, Aadhar card, proof of continuous employment which is not easily available with the segment that does not have much or any of the above documents required. These documents form the bulk of the qualifying criteria, which if an applicant does not meet will be rejected for a loan. Microfinance in India is addressing this need of the people.

Microfinance, identifying, small entrepreneurs come forward to uplift their lives by providing micro credit within their repayment capacity. The Microfinance companies conduct camps at remote villages and some urban pockets and offer financial assistance.

Who Are the Beneficiaries of Microfinance?

The established lending institutions generally cover salaried or self-employed professionals who have a steady source of income or work in an organised sector. Microfinance benefits the people who are involved in profession such as fishery, artisans, constructions works, vendors, small entrepreneurs etc. These individuals generally work in unorganised sectors and live in remote villages or slums in urban areas.

How Does Microfinance Help?

Economically weaker section of people get access to micro credit to enhance their lifestyle in several ways. With varied products from the Microfinance companies, the borrowers can use the funding for start a small business, build a low-cost house, get sanitation facilities etc.

Microfinance companies generally work through self-help groups in the rural and urban localities to provide the financial assistance to economically deprived people.

How Can Indians With No Credit History Get Loans and Credit Cards?

Our country can boast of a vibrant economy only when all segment of people can get access to credit. This is the only way to achieve an inclusive growth. CreditMantri, helps individuals who are otherwise unable to get credit in any form through formal banking system. The first-time borrowers who do not have a credit score or collateral can use CreditMantri platform to explore lenders who are willing to lend to them based on other criteria.

CreditMantri works with multiple lenders which include leading banks and NBFCs to also develop special products like small ticket loans which are able to provide such applicants a loan even with no credit score, a bad credit rating and with negative issues.

About Adhikar Microfinance

Adhikar is a Non-Banking Financial Corporation (NBFC – MFI) based out of Odisha. It operates across three states from 62 branches. Started in 2004, the microfinance company was later registered with the Reserve Bank of India. The organisation was declared a NBFC- MFI in the year 2012. The company has so far cumulatively disbursed more than INR 370 crores to poor people who are out of the formal banking system.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adhikar Microfinance

1. Who can avail credit from Adhikar Microfinance?

People who are not covered by formal banking system, living in urban slums or remote villages can avail micro credit from Adhikar Microfinance.

2. For what purposes the micro credit is offered by Adhikar Microfinance?

Adhikar Microfinance is provided for the purpose of micro business units, low-cost house building, construction of toilets, setting up irrigation system, purchase of solar ware etc.

3. Are there insurance benefits for availing Adhikar Microfinance?

Yes, you can get insurance benefits as long as you repay the loan amount.

4. What is the maximum amount of loan you can get under Adhikar Microfinance?

The loan amount is disbursed as per the scheme and repaying capacity of the borrower.

5. Does Adhikar provide micro credit only for women borrowers?

Yes, the micro credit is provided only for women as they have less chance of availing financial assistance from established financial institutions.