Raipur: The story of Purnima Basin, from Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district, is that of an ordinary woman with extraordinary achievements. From facing daily hardships of making both ends meet to becoming a beacon of inspiration for fellow villagers, she has come a long way. She credits the Centre’s Lakhpati Didi yojana for the transformative change in her life and in the lives of a hundred others like her.
She secured financial assistance under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana and adopted organic farming in the fields, moving beyond traditional practices, thereby helping her substantially augment agricultural income.
Earlier, she and her family were engaged in conventional farming practices, but that wasn’t enough to cover even daily expenses.
The picture changed after she joined the Self-Help Group and became a Lakhpati Didi in her village.
The real turning point came after she secured a loan from the bank and the Community Investment Fund (CIF). This assistance gave her dreams a new direction. She switched from traditional to Organic farming and began cultivating ‘Jiraphool’ rice – an aromatic variety of paddy whose market demand is rising rapidly.
Sharing her journey with IANS, Purnima said that since she began organic farming, her income has steadily increased, and today she earns in the thousands.
She added that her income today is sufficient to cover livelihood expenses, maintain good education for her children, and help others in need.
Expressing her gratitude to the government for a sea-change in her life, she said that it is solely due to government support and schemes like ‘Lakhpati Didi’ that many others like her are living a comfortable life and pursuing their dreams.
Recently, she also had the opportunity to meet with the Chief Minister. During this meeting, she shared her entire journey, from struggle to success, and also earned praise from the Chief Minister, who described the growing participation of women in the rural economy as a significant step towards their self-reliance.
Notably, she is not the only woman in her village to have taken this route. Numerous women have joined the SHGs in Balrampur and are now taking rapid strides toward achieving self-reliance.
Many groups, such as the Gandhi Group of Bari, the Santra Group of Durgapur, and the Durga Group, are expanding their businesses by producing handicrafts and food products. Aided by government schemes and bank linkages, they are also expanding their production and finding new markets beyond the neighbourhood.
Such success stories from Balrampur district paint a true picture of rural transformation, where women are forging new identities through hard work, confidence, and the right opportunities.
(IANS)
