Aatmanirbhar Bharat-How technology is helping the woman in villages to be independent.

Technology has been a boon for many people out there. Even after having so many disadvantages, technology can really help you with various means like expanding your business or discovering new ways of employment in every means as possible through technology. 

It has not even excluded the rural areas from the impact, especially the women who find it hard to level in the meager salary and when life becomes challenging for them.

Vijaya Deshmukh, Vidya Kirve, Tahira Bagwan and Anjana Bhise these are the women who hail from Maharashtra, India. They are all from a simple middle-class background and constantly find it hard to meet their extreme ends up till the time they took the decision of controlling life and that one decision had changed their life forever.

In Bhuinj rooted in Maharashtra,  Vidya Kirve’s husband lost his job in 2013 itself. As the financial condition at her house compelled her to join Mann Deshi Foundation Business school on wheels, she learnt how to stitch after which she started her small business of stitching and selling bags made out of old clothes.

Vijaya Deshmukh, her roots are from Sinnar, Maharashtra. Her real struggle started after 25 years of marriage. As her husband, who worked as a mechanic and earned merely Rs.200 per month on which it was hard to meet the daily expenses in the meager salary that was made.

So, she started saving Rs.5 to 10 per month so that she could enroll in the tailoring course after two years which expected the total fees of Rs.150. After the class, she started taking orders of stitching blouses and embroidery, but somehow she didn’t find it enough to meet the expenses, so in coordination, she also began selling spices.

Anjana Bhise, probably based from Phaltan, Maharashtra also shares a similar story. Initially, she started to sell the broomsticks after her marriage as her husband did not make much out from the farming. After earning from the broomstick business, she has also started a small canteen in the village.

Tahira Bagwan, on the other hand, is based in Belapur, Maharashtra always wanted to be more independent. But after her visit to her sister, she got to know about the nitty-gritty business. The challenge that was common between them was the difficulties they faced while taking permission from their families to start a business. They have faced an immense number of problems and challenges with being accepted as a working woman in the family as well as in society.

As they really worked hard to make through successfully. There are various technology tools which have endeavoured to take their business to another height and also helped them to be financially independent. As these women used Whatsapp to connect with their customers and also used UPI – based payment methods such as BHIM, Google pay and Paytm to send the money to the suppliers as well as to get the money from their respective customers.

Even the pandemic it has been notable that these women and the businesses had a smooth and disrupted ride in the lockdown as they kept going strength to strength and made an impact through technology across the globe. The dedication and the years of hard work paid off very well for the ladies.

Deshmukh earns Rs10,000 per month and has trained another 800 women to make the masalas. Kirve is leading 13 employees and earns Rs.40,000 – Rs.50,000 per month and as she plans to diversify and has also started stitching backpacks.

Bagwan earns a handsome profit of Rs.20,000 every month. In upcoming days she is planning to expand her shop area so that she can stock more material and variety. Anjana is making a profit of Rs.15,000 as the monthly income. As and when the situation will get better, she is planning to start a new venture to add on to her feather.

These ladies are our true inspiration as they taught us that no matter what extreme condition that you are the surviving one can genuinely make the best out of it and can never get detached from your own goals or priorities.

People are bound to speak as they are reluctant to your gender or insecure towards your growth but as and when you step out, there should be no looking back no matter what happens always remain up and high to walk towards your life and give the expansion to the experience as and when possible.

Vidya, Vijaya, Anjana, and Tahira are village-based women transforming themselves and are trying to connect with the world digitally and are making their individual life and growing as a financially independent woman in this male-dominated world.