๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ: ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฅโ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐
In Bhada village of Latur district, Maharashtra, Asmita Patilโs journey reflects the quiet determination of rural women who transform hardship into opportunity.
Married in 2011, Asmita spent her early years managing her home and raising children. Despite owning three acres of land, farming did not generate sufficient income. As expenses grew, she and her husband worked as daily wage labourers in a paper factory in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area of Ausa. For nearly 14 hours a dayโincluding travelโshe earned just โน280. The work was exhausting, and balancing childcare, household responsibilities, and labour left her physically and emotionally drained.
A turning point came when Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) began working in Bhada through the SBI Foundation supported Swayam Sakhi initiative. Though many women were hesitant at first, Asmita chose to step forward. With training in organic farming and an interest-free loan of โน10,000 from Swayam Sakhi Farmer Producer Company, she began vegetable cultivationโseeing agriculture not just as survival, but as enterprise.
When relocation for her childrenโs education disrupted farming, Asmita made another bold decision. She shifted from cultivation to market-based vegetable trading. The first few days brought losses, but she learned quicklyโimproving storage, pricing, and sales strategies. Gradually, daily profits rose to โน500โ700.
Today, Asmita earns up to โน35,000 per month. Purchasing vegetables worth โน6,000โ7,000 daily, she secures profits of โน1,700โ2,000 per day. She has built strong savings habits, setting aside โน600 daily and nearly โน12,000 monthlyโeven after meeting household and children’s education expenses.
Free from wage labour, Asmita now stands as a confident entrepreneur and member of Swayam Sakhi Farmer Producer Company.
โThough I am less educated, today I am my own boss. If I can do this, any woman canโwith the right support and opportunity.โ
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
25 February, 2026