Mangaluru: Sundari, a resident of Badinaru in Kodimbady village of Puttur taluk, has emerged as a symbol of women’s empowerment by using financial assistance received under the state govt’s Gruhalakshmi scheme to establish a successful dairy enterprise.A mother of two, Sundari had spent nearly eight years largely confined to her home without an independent source of income. Her family depended on her husband’s daily wage of around Rs 400, which was barely sufficient to meet household expenses.The launch of the Gruhalakshmi scheme, under which women receive a monthly assistance of Rs 2,000, marked a turning point in her life. Sundari saved Rs 4,000 from the first two instalments and used the money to buy a calf. She gradually expanded her dairy activities by carefully reinvesting her earnings.As delivering milk on foot across the hilly terrain became difficult, she combined Rs 10,000 from her savings with financial support from her husband and a loan from her mother to buy a second-hand scooter for Rs 40,000. Today, Sundari owns five cattle and supplies 55 to 60 litres of milk daily to the local cooperative society. She has also planted 300 arecanut saplings on joint family property.Her journey to self-reliance came to the attention of state officials. On Sept 10, she was felicitated at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru during the state-level Gruhalakshmi Sadhaki programme.Sundari credited Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and former Kodimbadi gram panchayat vice-president Jayaprakash Badinaru for their encouragement and support. They helped her procure essential equipment, including rubber mats for the cattle and a grass-cutting machine.“Before the scheme, I struggled even to step out of the house or support my family with our meagre income. By saving the assistance, I bought my first calf and later a scooter for milk delivery. Today, my dairy farm gives me immense pride and enables me to support my family,” she said.
