Meenakshi Farakte from Maharashtra faced a life of financial dependence and limited opportunities. After her marriage, she moved to Mohal Kaloni, a village in the Bamori block of Guna district, Madhya Pradesh.
In an alien region and with an education qualification of up to the 10th standard, she worked as a labourer earning a meagre ₹100 per day. Her husband’s annual income of ₹50,000 from agriculture, along with her daily wages, was barely enough to support their family of four—her husband, son, and daughter, leaving her almost entirely dependent on them.
The first step in her transformative journey began in 2006, when she secured a position as a cook in the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, elevating her monthly income to approximately ₹1,500. After this, she took a loan from her SHG to buy cows and sell milk, creating a parallel income source alongside her work in the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Later, she started working as a seamstress in a garment factory under the DAY-NRLM Mission, where her dedication and skill were rewarded with a promotion to the post of Supervisor. Her new financial situation provided her with an income of ₹9,000 per month, which enabled her to better support her family. However, it was still far from enough to provide a college education to both her children, forcing her to make the hard choice of only sending her son, the older sibling, to pursue further education.
In 2024, she learned about a possible opportunity at the Unnat agro-processing enterprise. Although hesitant at first, she applied and started working in her new role as the Centre Manager for the agro-processing unit in Bamori. This new role came with a new set of challenges where she not only had to learn the various operational aspects of business, but also had to confront the society filled with prejudice against women entrepreneurs.
As the centre manager, Meenakshi is responsible for the overall functioning of the agro processing unit where her duties extended far beyond simple management. She constantly looks to strengthen market linkages by establishing and maintaining strong relations with retailers and the community, ensuring consistent supply of raw materials and a steady revenue stream. She demonstrates strong leadership qualities by effectively managing her team and fostering a collaborative environment. She initially doubted her ability to handle the new responsibilities and had to face many difficulties when dealing with the society.
However, with constant training and support and through her own efforts and sheer determination to improve, she was able to change people’s minds and work with reinforced confidence. In Meenakshi’s own words, “In the beginning the vendors would not even let me stand in front of the shops for long when I came to them with my products, saying how would a woman be able to fulfil their orders of large quantities but now, they greet me with a smile, offer me a seat and bring refreshments while discussing their next order.”
Today, Meenakshi is a confident and capable leader and entrepreneur. She has increased her monthly revenue to ₹17,000 and is able to fully support her family. The difficult choices of the past are no longer an issue with her increased income, and she is able to send her daughter to pursue a postgraduate education as well.
Her journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, and an example of how a woman can achieve remarkable success through opportunity and unwavering determination.
