BC Sakhis Jyoti Vishwakarma and Nasreen Bano are delivering banking services across Chandauli villages. Their work is strengthening financial autonomy, community recognition and access to essential transactions.
As a Bank Correspondent Sakhi (BC Sakhi), Jyoti not only helps villagers access banking services closer to their homes but also contributes to her family’s finances.
For years, stepping outside her home to work was something Jyoti Vishwakarma had never imagined doing. Despite holding a postgraduate degree, the resident of Navahi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district spent most of her time managing household responsibilities and caring for her family. The idea of working in public, moving around the village and interacting with people independently made her hesitant.
Today, she has a different story to tell. As a Bank Correspondent Sakhi (BC Sakhi), Jyoti not only helps villagers access banking services closer to their homes but also contributes to her family’s finances, pays her children’s school fees and enjoys a distinct identity in her community.
Her journey reflects a wider change unfolding in rural Chandauli, where women working as BC Sakhis are bringing essential banking services to village doorsteps while building financial independence and confidence of their own.
Appointed at the gram panchayat level under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, BC Sakhis help residents access basic banking services, including cash withdrawals and deposits. They work from designated spaces in panchayat buildings and visit households when people are unable to travel to them. For elderly residents, people with disabilities and women who find it difficult to reach a bank, their services can make everyday financial transactions considerably easier.
But for the women delivering these services, the initiative has also opened a path towards economic participation and social recognition.
A NEW IDENTITY BEYOND THE HOUSEHOLD
Jyoti joined a self-help group before becoming a BC Sakhi in 2022. Through the group, she received a loan of Rs 75,000, part of which she used to purchase a machine, while the remaining amount helped her begin her banking-related work.
The transition, however, was not easy.
Coming from a rural household, she was initially apprehensive about stepping out regularly to work. Her family members warned her that the job would require her to travel around the village and interact with people. Some villagers, too, questioned the idea of a daughter-in-law leaving home to earn a living.
Over time, their attitudes began to change.
“Since I became a Bank Correspondent Sakhi, people have started calling me ‘Didi’,” Jyoti says. “They no longer identify my family only through my father-in-law’s name. People have started recognising my family through my name.”
The change in how people address her is significant. For Jyoti, it represents a shift from being known primarily through her family relationships to being recognised for her own work.
The woman who once hesitated to step outside now helps villagers understand how to open bank accounts, deposit money and withdraw cash. Residents also approach her for information about opening accounts for self-help groups.
Her workplace is a room in the village panchayat building, where she has been provided a table and a chair. When residents who are elderly, disabled or otherwise unable to visit her need assistance, she travels to their homes to provide services.
The work has given her a measure of financial autonomy that was previously unavailable to her.
“I have become capable enough to pay my children's school fees and manage my family properly,” she says.
Her responsibilities at home have not disappeared. She still looks after her family and manages household chores, but she now combines those duties with work that brings in an income and connects her with the wider community.
Her family, initially uncertain about her decision, has also become more supportive. Her husband now encourages her to continue working without hesitation.
NASREEN BANO: FROM STAYING AT HOME TO SUPPORTING HER CHILDREN
A similar transformation is taking place in Negura village, where Nasreen Bano has been working as a BC Sakhi for around four years.
Her husband works as a welder, and the household includes her in-laws, other family members and children. Before joining the initiative, Nasreen spent most of her time at home and had no independent source of income.
She first became part of a self-help group before taking up her role as a BC Sakhi. The opportunity brought her out of the confines of her home and gave her a way to contribute financially while continuing to fulfil her family responsibilities.
After completing her household chores, Nasreen heads to the village panchayat building, where residents come to deposit or withdraw money and seek assistance with banking services. Like Jyoti, she also visits people's homes when they need help.
For Nasreen, the most immediate impact has been the ability to meet her children's needs without having to depend entirely on her husband.
“Earlier, I was not earning anything. But after joining this initiative and starting work, I can spend the money I earn myself,” she says.
She uses her income to buy books, medicines and other essentials for her children. The ability to meet these expenses independently has changed how she manages her household and views her own role within it.
“Now, I don't have to ask my husband for everything. I can manage things on my own,” she says, describing the change the initiative has brought to her life.
Nasreen's experience also highlights the challenge faced by many rural women who seek paid work while carrying the primary responsibility for domestic chores and caregiving. Her working day begins only after she has completed her household duties, making the opportunity to earn an independent income particularly meaningful.
For her, the initiative is not simply a job. It is an opportunity to participate in the local economy, support her children and exercise greater control over everyday financial decisions.
BANKING AT THE DOORSTEP
While the initiative has changed the lives of Jyoti and Nasreen, its benefits extend to the residents they serve.
In villages where reaching a bank may involve additional travel, time and effort, the presence of a BC Sakhi offers an accessible alternative for basic transactions. Residents can seek assistance closer to home, while those who cannot easily travel may request a home visit.
Jamila, a resident of Negura village, says the service has made withdrawing money much easier.
“It is a very good initiative. We can withdraw money at home, and there is no need to go anywhere. We simply use our thumb impression to withdraw the money. Whenever we need help, we call the BC Sakhi to our home,” she says.
For Lakshmina Devi of Navahi village, the convenience of depositing and withdrawing money through the local BC Sakhi has also made a difference.
“Our village's BC Sakhi comes to our home. If we want to deposit money, we can deposit it, and if we need to withdraw money, we can do that too. It is a very good government initiative,” she says.
Their experiences underline the practical value of taking banking services closer to rural households, particularly for people who face mobility constraints or find travelling to a bank difficult.
The role of BC Sakhis extends beyond completing individual transactions. By helping residents navigate banking procedures and understand account-related services, they also become accessible points of contact for financial information within their communities.
MORE THAN A SOURCE OF INCOME
The stories of Jyoti Vishwakarma and Nasreen Bano illustrate two interconnected dimensions of the BC Sakhi initiative: improving access to banking in rural areas and creating opportunities for women to earn independently.
For the women themselves, the change is visible in everyday decisions. Paying school fees, buying medicines for children and meeting household expenses with their own earnings may appear to be modest achievements, but they can represent a significant shift in financial autonomy.
THERE IS ALSO A LESS TANGIBLE CHANGE: CONFIDENCE
Women who once hesitated to leave their homes are now managing transactions, answering questions from villagers and building professional identities within their communities. Their work has given them a public role beyond their traditional domestic responsibilities.
The transformation has not necessarily eliminated the demands of household work or the challenges of working in a rural setting. Both women continue to balance professional duties with family responsibilities. Yet their experiences suggest that access to an income-generating opportunity, combined with community-level work, can expand women's choices and strengthen their sense of independence.
In Chandauli's villages, banking has thus become more than a service delivered at the doorstep. Through women like Jyoti and Nasreen, it has also become a route to greater financial participation, social recognition and self-confidence.
For the villagers who call on them, the BC Sakhis offer a convenient way to access essential banking services. For the women themselves, the work has brought something equally valuable: the ability to earn, contribute and be recognised in their own right.
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