Kirti Awasthi is a grassroots woman leader who is promoting clean energy solutions in the village of Harwadi in Latur District of Maharashtra. Kirti learnt about SSP’s work in women’s empowerment from her local SHG in 2021. Interested in opportunities to gain financial independence, Kirti participated in SSP’s Entrepreneurship Development Program, followed by trainings on climate-resilient farming, digital literacy and clean energy solutions.
Equipped with the knowledge and capacities gained from SSP’s training, Kirti started promoting the installation of biogas plants in her village. She installed the first biogas plant in Harwadi village in her own farm, demonstrating the ease of functioning and benefits of the technology to other villagers. With rising cost of LPG cylinders, the savings from using biogas for cooking and the use of biogas slurry (byproduct) as bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides has led to savings of Rs. 25,000 per year in Kirti’s household. The nutrient-rich slurry has improved both the quantity and quality of their farm produce, leading to increased household income from the sale of grains, pulses, vegetables and flowers. Visible benefits of the biogas technology have led to a change in the community’s outlook, with Kirti booking 15 biogases in the past year.
As an emerging village leader, Kirti has also supported 8 other women in her village to set up their own small-scale businesses and trained women entrepreneurs in financial and digital literacy, improving their ease of doing business through the use of UPI platforms. She is one of the founders of her local Village Action Group (VAG), made up of women from different communities who have come together to advocate for community development. So far, the group has successfully lobbied for implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana at the village-level, to improve access to clean drinking water.
The story of Kirti Awasthi illustrates the importance of investing in grassroots women’s capacities and leadership, which has a ripple effect in the community, leading to greater women’s empowerment.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
March 02, 2024