Dilmati from Balrampur, Chhattisgarh changed her fortunes from pig farming. She started this work by joining a self-help group and taking a loan and today she is earning Rs 7-8 lakh annually. Her success has inspired other women of the village to become self-reliant.
Balrampur (Chhattisgarh) [भारत]July 18 (ANI): A woman from the tribal-dominated Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh, who once struggled to feed her family, has made a wonderful change in her life by adopting pig farming and by becoming ‘Lakhpati Didi’, she is inspiring others to improve their livelihood.
Dilmati, a resident of Laduwa Gram Panchayat, has proved that if women get the right opportunities, guidance and financial support, they can not only change their lives but also pave the way for others. There was a time when it was difficult for Dilmati to support the family due to limited income. But today, his family is earning Rs 7 to 8 lakh annually through pig rearing and agro-based activities. Dilmati has created a strong identity for herself as ‘Lakhpati Didi’.
journey from struggle to success
Till a few years ago, Dilmati’s family was facing severe financial crisis. It was difficult to run a household with the limited income from traditional farming. During this challenging period, she took membership of Maa Durga Women’s Self-Help Group (SHG) and started attending its meetings while saving regularly. In these meetings, Progressive Resource Persons and departmental officials provided information to the SHG members about various self-employment and livelihood options.
During this time, Dilmati thought of starting a pig farming business. After taking a loan of Rs 1 lakh, he bought 10 pigs from Jharkhand and started the business. The initial phase was full of challenges, but she did not lose patience nor back down from hard work.
Pig farming started earning money
After about a year, the pigs started bringing in income. Dilmati says that a female pig gives birth to 9 to 10 babies at a time, and the sale of each baby fetches about Rs 5,000. This started generating an income of around Rs 40,000 to 50,000 every six months. Presently, he has 9 female pigs, earning lakhs of rupees annually.
Work increased by reinvesting earnings
Dilmati did not limit this income to meeting household needs only. He constructed a well-maintained shed for piggery, purchased threshing/crushing machines for paddy and maize, and adopted drip irrigation system to start organic vegetable farming. This led to the development of several sustainable sources of livelihood, thereby strengthening their financial position. Today his family is financially independent.
Became an inspiration for other women of the village
Inspired by Dilmati’s achievement, about 10 to 15 families in Laduwa Panchayat have also made pig farming their source of livelihood. Today these families are also earning a good income from this business. The courage and determination of one woman has given birth to a new idea of self-employment in the entire village.
According to Dilmati, the lessons learned from the Maa Durga Mahila Self-Help Group meetings became the greatest asset of her life. She inspires other women to join self-help groups, make small savings their strength and use loans for income-generating activities. She strongly believes that if women are economically empowered, both family and society will be stronger.
Administration will also help, ‘Goat Cluster’ will be formed
Praising the commendable work of Lakhpati Didi Dilmati, Balrampur Collector Chandan Sanjay Tripathi said that an action plan is being prepared in collaboration with the Agriculture Department to establish ‘Goat Cluster’ in future. High quality goat breeds will be provided to Lakhpati Didis, which will boost their employment and strengthen their economic condition.
He further said that efforts will be made to engage more women following the inspiring example of Lakhpati Didi Dilmati. This initiative will give a big boost to goat rearing, which will improve the economic condition of the beneficiaries. Additionally, it will ensure that the local population has access to pure and high quality milk products. (ANI)
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