Bhagyashri Pawar, Jalna, Maharashtra

๐๐ก๐š๐ ๐ฒ๐š๐ฌ๐ก๐ซ๐ข ๐๐š๐ฐ๐š๐ซโ€™๐ฌ ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก

Bhagyashri grew up in poverty with dreams that were bigger than her circumstances. Married at a young age and able to study only up to Class 12 due to financial hardship, she moved into a family that owned just one acre of rainfed land. With uncertain agricultural income, Bhagyashri and her husband worked as daily wage labourers, facing irregular employment and constant anxiety about meeting household needs and educating their two children.

In 2017, a new possibility emerged when she joined a Self-Help Group under the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM). Starting with savings of just โ‚น20, she steadily built her confidence and later took on responsibilities as a Book Keeper. Despite setbacks, she remained committed to creating a stable livelihood.

With her first SHG loan of โ‚น10,000, Bhagyashri invested in a tailoring business. What began as daily earnings of โ‚น300โ€“โ‚น400 slowly became a reliable income source through hard work and consistency.

Her breakthrough came through the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), a Government of India initiative implemented locally by Swayam Shikshan Prayog. Selected as a Community Resource Personโ€“Enterprise Promotion (CRPEP), Bhagyashri underwent entrepreneurship training that strengthened her skills in business planning, capital management, and profit calculation. With support from the Community Enterprise Fund (CEP), she expanded beyond tailoring and started a general store and a saree center.

Today, Bhagyashri manages three thriving enterprises located close to each other, earning up to โ‚น5,000 per day. She has secured Udyam registration, improved her business visibility, and ensured her childrenโ€™s education. Most importantly, she no longer depends on uncertain daily wage labour.

Bhagyashriโ€™s journey reflects how government programmes, when implemented through strong community institutions, can transform vulnerability into sustainable enterprise. She now stands as a confident entrepreneur and a role model for women in her village.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog
20 February, 2026