Of the total 74.62 lakh SHGs, over 47.8 lakh SHGs have access to direct credit facilities from banks with an outstanding loan amount of Rs. 31,221 crore as at end of March 2011. One of the most distinguishing features of the program is that a majority (81.7 per cent) of the SHGs are exclusive woman groups.
Women SHGs have accounted for 75.5 per cent of the total savings and 83.7 per cent of the total loan outstanding of SHGs in 2010–11. BIS central bankers’ speeches  3  SHGs have also proven to be profitable propositions for rural and semi-urban bank branches with over 95% of recovery and aggregated transactions (one SHG means 10 to 20 individual members).