Abstract:
The study entitled, “RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND MICROCREDIT: A
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONVENTIONAL MICROCREDIT AND
ISLAMIC SHARIAH BASED MICROCREDIT” was conducted on three
villages namely Sukhati of Newashi Union, Boromani of Bamondanga Union
and Shapkhoa of Raigonj Union of Nageswari Upazila, Kurigram. Data were
collected through structured questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion
(FGD) to identify the qualitative as well as quantitative changes of rural
development indicators such as economic, human resource and living
environment related parameters of the microcredit beneficiaries as well as
non-beneficiaries. The major concern of this study includes the analytical
description of impact analysis of conventional and shariah based microcredit
on rural development indicators. Thus this study furnishes a wealth of
information of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries about land and
livestock ownership, ownership of other assets, income and savings, housing,
education, occupation, family planning, source of drinking water and sanitary
latrine. In fact, this comparative study explores the impact of conventional as
well as Islamic shariah based microcredit on the rural development indicators
of the selected three villages of Nageswari Upazila in Kurigram District.
This study reveals that both conventional and Islamic shariah based
microcredit have positive impacts on the rural development indicators. This
programme has increased the land ownership, income and savings, housing
quality, awareness regarding education and family planning, safe drinking
water and uses of sanitary latrine. In fact, there has been an exaggeration of
impact of conventional microcredit programme on rural development in
Bangladesh.
