Meet Shahzada: A woman Dairy Farmer from J&K's Pulwama, and a local job creator

 


Awaz e Khwateen 

Economic hardships could have broken the back of Shahzada, but she rose to the occasion and created a business model for herself and countless women in her small hamlet of Mitrigam in J&K’s Pulwama. Shahzada is a Dairy Farmer who began her tryst with the industry way back in 2015. Speaking to Awaz-e-Khwateen, Shahzada said that her family belonged to the lower economic strata of the society and had no steady source of income. Despite her hardships, she forayed into the sector when she bought two milch cows back in 2015. 

“It was difficult at first. I was paid very less and the margins were very less but then I joined the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission’s UMEED programme”, said Shahzada. The UMEED programme, initiated by the Government, has enabled the setting up of a Dairy Farmers Producer Organization in the area. Shahzada, who is a member of the local FPO, helped build an ecosystem that helped local women to become self-sustainable and financially independent 

The local FPOs are provided with technical expertise, and loans at subsidised interest rates to catalyse entrepreneurial spirit amongst local women. This helped create more jobs and better living standards for families across the village and spare income for the kin. 

Shahzada has also not forgotten to pay back her community. The entrepreneur says that she now liaisons with over 175 local women and sources milk from them at higher rates. This way she not only helps run her own house but also helps countless other local women in the area earn a dignified livelihood.

Speaking exclusively to Awaz-e-Khwateen, the budding dairy farmer said that she plans to add more cows to her farm. She also urged young girls and women to become entrepreneurs and create a niche for themselves, and not just restrict themselves to office jobs.

Shahzada is a model example of what Government outreach coupled with a strong will can achieve. She truly embodies the spirit of the clarion call of Atmanirbhar Bharat given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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