Training Needs of Rural Women in Hilly Areas for Their Empowerment
M. Kandeeban, R. Velusamy

Abstract
The present study was formulated with aim to identify the areas of training needs for rural women empowerment, the constraints faced by rural women’s in hilly areas towards their self-employment and suggestions to overcome the problems. The results revealed that two third of the rural women preferred training on handicraft (66.00 percent) and it occupied first rank in the training need. Nearly half of the rural women preferred pickle making (47.00 percent) as one of the training need. Two third of rural women (37.00 Per cent) preferred goat rearing as one of the important areas of training need. Nearly one fourth (24.00 per cent) of the rural women preferred honey value addition as one of the training area in hilly areas and it occupies fourth rank in training needs. The dairy farming area was preferred by 23 percent of rural women and it occupies fifth rank in training need. Majority of the respondents prefer panchayat union office (95 percent) and village school (93 percent) as a convenient training venue followed by farmer’s field (78 percent) and research station (67 percent). Most of the rural women preferred demonstration method (87 percent) followed by study tour (63 percent) as training methods. Major constraint felt by rural women was infrastructural constraint. Less hospital facility was seriously felt by majority of the rural women (67 per cent). The electricity problem was felt by 61 per cent of rural women. Followed by lack of drainage facility (50 per cent) and poor sanitary facility (45 per cent) were major constraints. Majority (82 per cent) of rural women suggested creating awareness in government program, training, and entrepreneurship. The most of the rural women (80 per cent) are suggested that providing loans through SHG to overcome their economic constraint and for their self-employment activities.

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