Name: Smt. Sridevi
Husband: Chennappa
Village: Halabharga
Caste: General
Occupation: Grocery Shop
SHG: Nootana Mahila Self-Help Group, Halabharga

Introduction:Mrs. Sridevi is a member of the newly formed women’s Self-Help Group in Halberg village, Balki Taluk. There are seven members in her family. Her eldest son, Ramesh, has a disability and is unable to do any work. Her daughter-in-law Parvati has two children.

Problem: They belong to a BPL family and were sustaining their household through daily wage labor. Under the guidance of a labor organization, they formed a new women’s Self-Help Group in 2011, starting with just ₹10. They took a loan of ₹5,000 from the SHG and used it for agricultural work. After harvesting a good crop, they repaid the loan and subsequently took 4–5 more loans from the SHG and the bank, managing their livelihood. Recently, they took a bank loan of ₹1,00,000 to establish a small grocery (kirana) shop. The income generated from this business is used to repay the loan.

Solution / Outcome: Now, they earn about ₹1,000 per day from the shop. When she goes to work in the fields, her family manages the shop. Her son has been sent to Hyderabad for work, and her daughter-in-law manages household work. Currently, Sridevi earns ₹1,000 and her son earns ₹500 daily, making a total family income of ₹1,500 per day. Both children are being sent to a good school. The family has stopped doing daily wage labor, and both husband and wife are engaged in running the grocery shop.

Opinion: She shared that initially she did not know anything. After joining the SHG, she received all the necessary information, and today she works with dignity while maintaining peace and happiness in her family. She attributes all of this to the support of the ORBIT organization and expresses her heartfelt gratitude on behalf of herself and her family. She mentioned that she will always remain indebted to ORBIT.