PM’s words, praise strengthened my resolve to help others: UP woman farmer

Till a few days ago, Chanda Devi was just another farmer in a non-descript village in Uttar Pradesh. But one meeting has made her the inspiration for many. It was an interaction with the prime minister, and during it, a praise for her. It is a moment of a lifetime when one gets the opportunity to interact with a personality like him, said the 35-year-old as she recalled being commended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her oratory skills and confidence, and asked if she has ever thought of contesting elections.

Devi was among several beneficiaries of government schemes who met Modi during his recent visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. ”Leave alone being acknowledged or asked to contest elections, I had not even dreamt that I would one day meet the prime minister. It is a matter of great pride for me,” said Devi, a resident of Rampur village, who spoke for nearly nine minutes from a stage while Modi was among the audience, largely comprising women who had benefitted from welfare schemes.

Talking to PTI over phone, the mother of two said a few years, she lacked this confidence with little income and little to look forward to. Life took a turn after ”I became a part of the Rashtriya Gramin Aajivika Mission (National Rural Livelihood Mission) and a full-time farmer”, she said and added that her progress started with loan of Rs 15,000.

Devi said she started growing vegetables and later, the investment got her enough returns to save more than a lakh annually, earning her the sobriquet ”Lakhpati Devi”. ”Earlier, we used to eat and wear what we had but now we have the choice of what to eat and what to wear. Today I ask my children what they want to eat and can provide it,” she said. Devi, who also guides villagers in basic banking services as a ‘bank sakhi, said she has become ”aatmanirbhar (self-reliant)”. ”I am encouraging other women to also become beneficiaries of the Aajivika mission,” she said.

Devi is also associated with a self-help group (SHG) Radha Mahila Sahayata Samooh, which supports women in improving their livelihood. On her interaction with Prime Minister Modi, she said it has further strengthened her resolve to work for the upliftment of other women through government schemes. ”When he came in our midst, we were apprehensive, but he made us so comfortable that we connected with him as if he was one of us,” she said recalling the interaction.

Devi said now that her achievement has come to the fore, many more women are being inspired to improve their living condition. Most women earn their livelihood through farming and are taking the support of the NRLM to improve their earnings, she said referring to her village. The Rashtriya Gramin Aajivika Mission was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development to create platforms to enable the poor rural population to increase their household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.

Kumari Devi, a resident of Sewapuri, said a lot has changed after she became a beneficiary and a member of the SHG three years ago. She said she purchased a buffalo for Rs 30,000 with help from the SHG and with another assistance of Rs 50,000, a pick-up car. The commercial use of the car and the livestock has helped her better the future of her family, said Kumari Devi. Urmila Devi, also of Rampur village and another beneficiary, said with the SHG’s support, she purchased a machine for cutting floor tiles and today her husband uses it to earn for the family. She also gets financial assistance for purchasing seeds and fertilisers to improve her livelihood by farming.