Solar power helps rural women in Ayodhya boost their incomes

Ayodhya women are using self-help group loans to operate solar-powered village enterprises. The businesses reduce disruption from power cuts while supporting household incomes and local employment.

For Aarti, Devaki Dubey and Kranti Devi, the shift to solar energy has brought more than relief from power cuts.

For Aarti, a resident of Haiderganj block in Ayodhya district, frequent power cuts once meant interruptions to her small business. During the monsoon, when electricity supply became unreliable, running her flour mill and oil extraction machine was often difficult. Today, solar-powered equipment has made her work more manageable, helping her earn a steady income while creating a local employment opportunity.

Aarti is among the rural women in Ayodhya who are turning to solar energy to strengthen their livelihoods. With the support of self-help groups (SHGs), women are setting up small businesses using solar-powered flour mills and oil extraction machines, reducing their dependence on conventional electricity and creating opportunities to earn from within their villages.

For Aarti, Devaki Dubey and Kranti Devi, the shift to solar energy has brought more than relief from power cuts. It has helped them contribute to household expenses, balance family responsibilities with work and encourage other women to explore self-employment.

The women say they took loans of around Rs 30,000 through their self-help groups to set up their businesses. According to their own estimates, their monthly earnings range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000, depending on the nature and scale of their operations.

Aarti finds a way around power cuts

Aarti, who lives in the Haiderganj block of the Gosaiganj Assembly constituency, says unreliable electricity supply, particularly during the rainy season, frequently affected her flour milling and oil extraction business.

Installing a solar system has allowed her to operate the machines more conveniently during the day, reducing the disruption caused by power cuts.

“Installing solar equipment has benefited us a lot. Earlier, electricity would often be unavailable during the rainy season, affecting our work. Now, we can run the flour mill and oil extraction machine during the day. We earn around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month,” Aarti says.

She took a loan of Rs 30,000 through her self-help group to establish the business. According to her, the solar system was installed around two months before the interview, approximately six to seven months after she applied.

The business has also created an employment opportunity for another person who works with her.

Aarti's experience has encouraged her to share information about solar-powered livelihood opportunities with other women in the area. She says she has helped spread awareness and provide guidance to women interested in starting similar ventures, with around four to five households benefiting from the information and support associated with her efforts.

“We would encourage other women to learn about this initiative and explore its benefits. It helps us manage our household responsibilities while also providing employment,” she says.

For Aarti, the ability to continue working despite electricity interruptions has made a practical difference to her business. It has also given her an opportunity to help other women consider ways of earning an independent income.

Devaki Dubey builds a business close to home

In Kahua village in Ayodhya's Milkipur area, Devaki Dubey has established a flour milling business after learning about solar-powered equipment through her self-help group.

She says women associated with the group introduced her to the opportunity, prompting her to take a loan of Rs 30,000 and install the equipment.

The business now provides her with an income that she says ranges between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 a month.

Devaki's family had previously lived through a period of migration for work. Her husband drove a vehicle in Gurugram for three to four years before returning to the village around four to five years ago. Since then, the family has been living in the village, where the flour mill has become an important source of household income.

Running the business locally allows Devaki to earn while remaining close to her family and managing domestic responsibilities.

“Other women in our self-help group told us about solar energy. We took Rs 30,000 through the group and installed the solar-powered machine. It has been very beneficial for running the flour mill, and we earn around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month,” she says.

“We manage the household work as well as the business. During self-help group meetings, we also tell other women about this opportunity so that they, too, can start earning.”

Devaki's work is not limited to running the mill. Through self-help group meetings, she shares her experience with other women who may be interested in setting up similar enterprises.

The aim, she says, is to help them understand the opportunity and consider whether such a business could suit their own circumstances.

Kranti Devi and her daughter-in-law run the business together

For Kranti Devi, the solar-powered enterprise is a family effort. Her daughter-in-law, Devaki, is also involved in the work, and the two women manage the business alongside their household responsibilities, with support from other family members.

Their operations include flour milling and oil extraction. Kranti says unreliable electricity previously made it difficult to run the machines consistently, but solar power has helped ease that problem.

According to her, the business generates around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 a month. The family also rears a cow and earns additional income by selling milk, giving them another source of support.

The combined earnings help the household meet daily expenses and provide for the children's needs.

“Women in our self-help group told us about solar energy, and we decided to install it. We grind flour and extract oil here, earning around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 a month,” Kranti says.

“Earlier, electricity was not available regularly, but now solar power has made our work easier. We also tell other women in the village about it so that they can explore opportunities to earn a living.”

For Kranti and Devaki, working together has allowed them to combine their efforts rather than treat the business as the responsibility of a single family member. The enterprise operates alongside their domestic work, while income from the flour mill, oil extraction and dairy activities contributes to the family's overall earnings.

Their experience also illustrates how rural businesses can draw on existing family networks and local demand to create livelihood opportunities close to home.

SELF-HELP GROUPS OPEN DOORS TO SELF-EMPLOYMENT

A common thread running through the experiences of Aarti, Devaki and Kranti is the role of self-help groups in introducing women to new livelihood options.

The groups provide a platform for women to exchange information, discuss business opportunities and access loans. In these cases, the women say they borrowed around Rs 30,000 through their groups to establish their solar-powered enterprises.

Their experiences also point to a practical advantage of using solar energy for small businesses in areas affected by unreliable electricity. By making daytime operations easier, the equipment can help reduce interruptions to work and allow women to continue serving customers.

However, the income figures cited by the women are self-reported and may vary with customer demand, operating costs and business conditions. The Rs 30,000 amounts they mentioned were loans obtained through self-help groups; the available information does not establish whether these were supplemented by a government subsidy or other financial assistance.

The precise cost of the solar systems and the details of any associated government support could not be independently established from the information available.

SOLAR ENERGY OFFERS A ROUTE TO RURAL LIVELIHOODS

The experiences of these three women highlight the potential of small, locally operated businesses to support rural household incomes while expanding women's economic participation.

A flour mill or oil extraction unit may be modest in scale, but for women managing family responsibilities, the opportunity to operate a business within their village can make paid work more accessible. Solar-powered machinery can also help address one of the practical challenges these enterprises face: interruptions in conventional electricity supply.

Equally important is the role of women who share their experiences with others. Through self-help group meetings and informal guidance, Aarti, Devaki and Kranti are helping fellow villagers learn about the possibility of starting similar businesses.

Their stories offer a glimpse of how renewable energy, community-based financial support and women's initiative can come together to create local livelihood opportunities.

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