(a) The role of 'Self Help Groups' (SHGs) in the rural economy: (i) SHGs organise rural poor, especially women and create self-employment opportunities for them.(ii) SHGs help borrowers overcome the problem of lack of collateral so that they can get timely loans for a variety of purposes and at a reasonable interest rate.(iii) SHGs builds blocks of organisation of the rural poor.(iv) SHGs help woman to become financially self-reliant.(v) SHGs also provide them a platform to discuss and act on various social issues.OR (b) Importance of cheap and affordable credit for the country's development:(i) Cheap and affordable credit would lead to higher income.(ii) Many people could borrow for a variety of needs(iii) It encourages people to invest in agriculture, do business and set up small-scale industries etc.(iv) It enables more investment which will lead to the acceleration of economic activities.(v) Affordable credit would also end the cycle of the debt trap.