Laxmi Rani Sinha, in her mid 40s from Kathal in Cachar, wakes up before sunrise each day to complete her household chores before heading to her shop—Parimal Sweets. There, she spends her entire day serving customers, whom she considers as Gods. Laxmi Rani started her journey in 2015, which has now grown into a one-stop destination for sweets in the area.
“It all started after my marriage, when I realized that my husband’s income working with my father-in-law at their grocery shop wasn’t enough to support our family. That’s when we decided to start something of our own. With our savings of ₹15,000, we opened a small tea stall serving tea, biscuits, and roasted peas,” shared Laxmi Rani talking to Asom Barta.
In 2018, Laxmi Rani joined the Moon Self-Help Group (SHG), against her husband’s wishes. She managed to get financial support, including loans from the bank, CLF, and the PMFE (Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises). This support boosted her confidence and enabled her to expand her business into a full-fledged sweetmeat shop.
“The sweets, puri, and ghugni have become popular, and by God’s grace, our business is doing well. Our annual turnover now exceeds lakhs, and we have four employees working in the shop,” she added.
Similarly, Champa Phukhan, a resident of No. 4 Rongmon, Dholapur in Golaghat, has become an inspiring figure in organic farming and women’s empowerment. Her journey began in 2011, when she and her husband Nitul Phukan decided to address the struggles of small tea growers who were suffering under the agent system. They decided to venture into organic tea production.
“At first, people were not interested in growing organic tea, thinking it had no value. But we persisted in our mission. In 2017, our venture Sayanika Tea Industry was opened where we produced our first batch of tea and approached tea experts. They were impressed with the quality and offered us support. Since then, there has been no looking back,” she explained.
A prime mission of the business was to empower women in the area. Champa and her husband transformed 10-12 small tea gardens, mostly run by women, into organic gardens, offering them the best prices for their leaves and providing necessary training.
Currently, around 10 women, including five from tea garden communities, work with the couple. “We also have a retail shop where three women are employed,” Champa adds.
They have introduced Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and are now encouraging women associated with them to cultivate and produce the flowers. Champa’s monthly income is between ₹2.5-3 lakhs now.
Laxmi Rani and Champa Phukhan are among 20 women recognized as Maha Lakhpati Didis by the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM).
Mission Director of ASRLM, Nibedan Das Patowary, speaking to the newsletter says, “In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the vision of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis. Supported by the collective strength of Women’s Self-Help Groups, this initiative aims to uplift rural women through entrepreneurship, improving their income, and providing financial security. The Lakhpati Didi initiative is a cornerstone of this vision, helping rural women earn up to ₹1,00,000 annually through various livelihood activities.”
He says, “Under the programme, over 8.80 lakh women have been trained. We have equipped them with essential skills, financial knowledge, and resources to start and scale up various income-generating activities. These activities range from agriculture and handicrafts to small businesses and service-oriented enterprises,” he told this reporter.
He adds, “With the success of Lakhpati Didi initiative, we have introduced Mahalakhpati Didi programme. This extension aims to support women who have achieved extraordinary success in their entrepreneurial ventures, earning over ₹10,00,000 annually. As of now 20 women have been recognized in this category who are acting as inspiring role models for others in rural areas.”
