In Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, a self-help group initiative is helping rural women earn an income and challenge resistance to their financial independence within their families. In Bhojjala gram panchayat, women from 17 self-help groups have come together to run a Take-Home Ration (THR) plant, established with their pooled savings, that produces nutritious food such as barfi, halwa, porridge and moong dal preparations for children at anganwadi centres.
The venture, under the Yogi Adityanath-led government's self-help group initiative, has changed the financial circumstances of several women.
Draupadi, the group's president, who previously worked as a tailor and agricultural labourer, now contributes to household expenses and can afford better schooling for her children. Saroj has also enrolled her children in a private school, while Vinita, who initially faced opposition from her family for joining the group, now supports her husband financially.
The women's experiences reflect how collective enterprises can create livelihood opportunities in rural areas, even as social resistance to women working and earning independently remains a challenge.