Micro-finance has been holding the interest of researchers, scholars and practitioners for some time now because of its development implications and impact on women empowerment. Women micro-entrepreneurs in addition to facing serious bottlenecks like male domination and social taboos also suffer from dearth of capital to finance their economic activities. Micro-finance as a major development strategy provides a practical approach to attack the vices of poverty, especially for women. The book deals with - Concepts of micro-finance, systems of micro-finance delivery, i.e., the savings and credit linkages of Self Help Groups with banks, different likage models. - Activities of institutions like the NABARD and SIDBI in linking groups and the features of the SGSY launched by the Government. - The role played by a regional Rural Bank in North Bengal in formation and linking of SHGs. - The perception of women micro-entrepreneurs towards micro-financing schemes and SHGs, their activities in SHGs, their problems and constraints in dealing with banks and role and perception of bank officials. - Impact of micro-finance schemes on women using socio-economic indicators. - Policy implications for better administration of Micro-finance schemes. The book aims at attracting readership among: - Micro-finance practitioners - Government agencies engaged in Micro-financing Activities - NGOs - Banks and Funding Agencies - Students of Micro-finance and Developmental Studies as a supplementary text - Policy makers.