Empowering The Poor Is A Key Part Of Alleviating Poverty. With This End In View, The Government Of India During 1982-83 Launched Development Of Women And Children In Rural Areas (Dwcra), As A Sub-Scheme Of Integrated Rural Development Programme (Irdp). The Present Study Aims To Examine The Impact And Performance Of Dwcra Programme In Nellore District Of Andhra Pradesh On (1) The Extent To Which Dwcra Scheme Has Succeeded In Achieving Its Stipulated Objectives, On Basic Conditions Of Beneficiaries, And To Measure The Overall Impact On Beneficiaries, (2) Socio Economic Conditions Of Beneficiaries And Non-Beneficiaries, (3) Changes In Savings And Borrowing Pattern Of The Dwcra Members After Joining The Dwcra Programme, And Also The Determinants Of Their Monthly Earnings, (4) The Impact Of Dwcra On Empowerment Of Women In Terms Of Economic And Social Status Of The Beneficiaries, And (5) The Assessment Of Variables That Explains Inter-Group Differences In Income Along With The Factors Influencing The Loan Amount Received By The Members Of Dwcra. The Data Were Collected From 150 Dwcra Beneficiaries And 150 Non-Beneficiaries, With The Help Of A Pre-Designed Questionnaire And Interview Method. Suitable Statistical Techniques Were Used To Analyze The Data. The Findings Revealed That Nearly Three Fourth Of The Beneficiaries Have Been Able To Generate Income, But Not To The Same Level. The Programme Has In No Way Influenced The Housing Conditions Of The Beneficiaries. The Nutritional Levels Are Found To Be Better Among The Non-Beneficiaries Than Beneficiaries. Results Revealed That Asset Level Is Insignificant For The Beneficiaries Before And After Joining The Dwcra Group. Experience And Skill Are Observed To Have Positive Effect On The Income Of The Beneficiaries. Freedom Of Mobility Shows A Positive Relationship With The Empowerment Of The Members Of Dwcra Scheme. However, Family Type, Savings, Training And Education Are Observed To Be Negatively Correlated With Empowerment. The Results Of Inter Group Differentiation In Income Of Beneficiaries Revealed That The Independent Variables Jointly Influence The Dependent Variable Significantly. Significant Loan Determinants Of The Dwcra Beneficiaries Are Found To Be The Length Of Membership, Household Size, Savings And Owned Land. The Study Could Not Take Qualitative Factors Which Can Be Considered For Further Research, And The Study Can Further Be Extended To Have An In-Depth Study Of The Impact Of Dwcra On Children. Key Words: Empowerment, Dwcra, Credit, Beneficiaries.