Shraddha Devi, 45, belongs to the Musahar community in Biliaary village, Bikram block. As a widow and a Dalit woman she faced discrimination and had little knowledge of her own rights.
After joining a self-help group formed by PGVS and attending regular meetings, she took part in training on group management, gender, kitchen gardens, and land and livelihood. She now leads the Durga SHG, whose savings have reached ₹27,680, and helped form two new groups in her village — Lakshmi SHG with savings of ₹23,535 and Mamta SHG with ₹23,520. Total village savings stand at ₹74,735.
Shraddha Devi led a five-day sanitation and community drive in her village, runs a kitchen garden and rears goats. She speaks up at the block level for her group’s rights, and her aim is to help other members gain identity, dignity and income.