Udyamini

🌸 Women Power in India’s Informal Economy 🌸

Across India, women form the backbone of the informal economy — contributing through farming, crafts, home-based enterprises, street vending, and many other forms of work that sustain families and communities. Yet their contributions often remain unseen and under-recognised.

This Women’s Day, we celebrate the resilience, skills, and entrepreneurship of women who keep local economies running every day. At Udyamini, we continue to support Rural Women Entrepreneurs in turning their work into stronger, more sustainable enterprises. 💪🌿

🌸 Women’s Day Success Story | Gitanjali Kalita 🌸

With an initial investment of just ₹10,000, Gitanjali Kalita from Bapupara, Goalpara district, began her journey in livestock-based entrepreneurship.

After joining the Udyamini programme on 16 November 2023 as a Livestock Business Counsellor, and with support from The Goat Trust, she received training in scientific livestock management, herbal product usage, record-keeping, and market linkages. These skills helped her grow a livestock enterprise that now includes poultry, goat rearing, and desi egg aggregation.

Today, Gitanjali’s work supports her family and extends beyond her own enterprise. She mentors 20 Rural Women Entrepreneurs, guiding them to build sustainable micro-businesses in livestock.

Looking ahead, she aims to expand her enterprise to 50 goats and a 100-bird desi poultry unit, with a goal of reaching ₹2,00,000–₹2,50,000 in annual income.

Her journey shows how small beginnings, combined with knowledge and determination, can create lasting impact for women and their communities. ✨

🌸 Women’s Day Success Story | Jonaki Terangpi 🌸

With just ₹4,000 and no personal savings, Jonaki Terangpi from Vophong Engjai (Kanchanjuri), Rongmongve block in Karbi Anglong, began her journey into entrepreneurship.

After joining the Udyamini Project in December 2024, and with support from Transform Trade - Grassroot Tea Corporation, Jonaki became part of a 12-member women’s producer group producing Premium Karbi Artisanal Green Tea. Through training in chemical-free cultivation, processing, packaging, and financial management, she learned how to transform fresh tea leaves into a high-value product.

Today, Jonaki earns around ₹10,000 per month, with an ambitious goal of reaching ₹2,40,000 annually. Her work also highlights the value addition in tea production, where 5 kg of fresh leaves produce 1 kg of finished green tea, selling at around ₹450 per kg. The group uses a safer firewood-based dryer compatible with electricity and solar power, making the process both efficient and sustainable.

Jonaki’s journey is inspiring more women in her community to step into entrepreneurship and explore new possibilities in the tea value chain. ✨

🌸 Women’s Day Success Story | Masuma Khatun 🌸

From a ₹20,000 SHG loan and a passion for Kantha embroidery, Masuma Khatun from Jagnanagar, Birbhum, has built a thriving handicraft enterprise.

After joining the Udyamini Project on 2 March 2025, and with support from the Digital Empowerment Foundation, Masuma learned how to price her work, experiment with new designs, and use digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to reach customers.

Today, her earnings reach ₹50,000–60,000 per month during peak seasons, along with an additional ₹20,000–30,000 through online sales. Beyond her own success, she now leads and mentors over 200 Rural Women Entrepreneurs, helping them strengthen their skills and confidence in Kantha craftsmanship.

Masuma also participates in national exhibitions and has created a home-based creative learning space near Santiniketan, where women gather to learn, innovate, and grow together.

Her journey shows how tradition, creativity, and digital empowerment can open new opportunities for rural women. ✨

🌸 Women’s Day Success Story | Asima Sardar 🌸

From a small beginning with ₹50,000, Asima Sardar from Parulia village, Nadia district, has grown into a leader in agri-based rural entrepreneurship.

Through training and support under the Udyamini programme, implemented with SwitchOn Foundation, Asima learned essential skills such as record-keeping, profit calculation, and managing licenses — transforming her initiative into a thriving enterprise.

Today, her Producer Group’s spice grinding unit and community farm machinery bank generate around ₹30,000–35,000 per month, up from ₹10,000–12,000 earlier. Farmers now rent tools from the machinery bank, while households use the community spice grinder — creating services that benefit the wider community.

Beyond running these enterprises, Asima also mentors local women, encouraging them to start their own businesses and navigate the process of licensing and entrepreneurship.

Her journey shows how one woman’s determination can open doors for many others. ✨

From weaving only traditional gamusas to mentoring fellow weavers in her village — Kalpana Das from Narengapara, Kamrup, is redefining what rural women entrepreneurship looks like.

After joining Udyamini on 13 October 2023, Kalpana began exploring product development and learning new techniques. With support from Grameen Sahara, she started using tools like the draw-boy to experiment with designs and expand her handloom products.

Today, her weaving brings in around ₹5,000 a month, and she is steadily working toward her goal of ₹20,000 monthly income. As a Community Resource Person, she now supports other women weavers in her village to improve quality, adopt new techniques, and see handloom as a sustainable livelihood.

Her journey is a reminder that when women are empowered with skills and opportunities, entire communities move forward. ✨

🌸 Celebrating Women, Celebrating Change 🌸

This International Women’s Day, we honour the strength, resilience, and creativity of rural women entrepreneurs who are building sustainable livelihoods and transforming their communities.

At Udyamini, we stand with these women as they turn ideas into enterprises and challenges into opportunities. ✨

In February, as the winter sun softened over Taralangso, something more than celebration was unfolding at the 52nd Karbi Youth Festival.

Amid the music, colour and collective pride organised by the Karbi Cultural Society, another story was quietly taking shape at the stall of the Tea Board of India.

Karbi Anglong’s women tea producers are signalling a market breakthrough: Here’s how In February, as the winter sun softened over Taralangso, something more than celebration was unfolding at the 52nd Karbi Youth Festival.  Amid the

From Karbi Anglong to Guwahati — celebrating collective milestones in the tea journey 🍃

The Tea Board of India invited Grassroots Tea Corporation to be part of the 25th Agri-Horti Show (26 Feb – 1 March 2026) at the Directorate of Agriculture campus, Guwahati. It was an honour to share the Tea Board’s stall and present the journey of Rural Women Entrepreneurs in the tea value chain under the Udyamini programme.

We were deeply privileged by the visit of Shri Atul Bora, Agriculture Minister, Government of Assam, to the stall, where we shared insights into women-led innovation and the growth of artisanal tea enterprises in Karbi Anglong.

As the Expo concluded, the Tea Board of India stall was awarded First Prize — a proud moment made possible by the contribution of Tea RWEs and Grassroots Tea Corporation.

Each step strengthens the collective effort behind women-led tea entrepreneurship. 💪🌱

Culture, community, and commerce came together in Karbi Anglong 🌿

Organised by Transform Trade and Grassroot Tea Corporation, “A Celebration of Robust Rural Women Entrepreneurship in the Tea Value Chain” brought together hundreds of rural women entrepreneurs to celebrate innovation, resilience, and growing market opportunities in artisanal green tea.