Being the only ‘Lakhpati Didi’ from Punjab to address the gathering of women working with self-help groups (SHGs) from across the country, Rupinder Kaur, 35, of Bathinda’s Pakka Kalan village had hogged the limelight at the National Livelihood Summit held in New Delhi in December last year.
“The event brought together successful rural women entrepreneurs or ‘lakhpati didis’,” says Kaur who spoke at the summit organised by Access Development in collaboration with NITI Aayog.
Lakhpati Didi is a scheme implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development that aims to empower women by helping them to start micro enterprises. It provides interest subvention, loans, financial support and so on.
Kaur’s SHG was established with the support of HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited’s (HMEL) Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Bathinda. Her journey began in 2018 when she joined HMEL and formed the Gyan Self-Help Group by gathering women from her village. After receiving training, they set up a bag-stitching unit and began to work.
“Just as we began operations in 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, creating a setback. But we got an order to manufacture bags for government schools which boosted our confidence,” she recalls.
Since then, Kaur and her group have never looked back. “Today, we have earned Rs 11 lakh by stitching bags. Our products are in demand not only in Punjab but in Haryana as well so we make the bags based on orders,” she told The Indian Express.
While Kaur has studied till Class 12, the other six members in her group have only passed matriculation. Now their SHG functions out of rented premises in their village and sells products, including travel bags and tiffin bags, on retail as well.
HMEL has established 491 SHGs in 59 villages around Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, empowering over 5,000 rural women.
At the request of the not-for-profit Hand in Hand India (HIH), Kaur also trained other women in her village in bag-making, helping them become self-reliant too. Four more bag-stitching groups have since been set up in Pakka Kalan with over 40 women involved in the business.
“Each member of these groups now earns approximately Rs 15,000 per month, allowing them to support their children’s education and contribute to household expenses alongside their husbands,” Kaur adds, hoping that her story would serve as an inspiration for others.
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Source: The Indian Express
