From Low-Income Family to Successful Entrepreneur: JK woman’s journey

Jammu-Kashmir: Pooja Devi, a woman from Pathwal, Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, demonstrates self-employment and women's empowerment through her successful business.

She began her business career by selling pickles and local household goods because she came from a low-income family.

Breaking barriers in entrepreneurship

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She established the first-ever Millet Restaurant in her area because the Agriculture Department provided her with business support through the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP). The program provided her with a 50 per cent subsidy.

Pooja's family operated the restaurant for one successful year through their collective efforts.

Promoting healthy eating options

She provides customers with healthy food options which include dosa and millet momos and samosas and makki and bajra rotis.

Customers have praised her special food options because they discovered something new. Her business provides her a profitable income which she uses to help her family.

Role model for rural women

Pooja Devi has become a role model for rural women because she demonstrates that women can achieve self-sufficiency through hard work and receiving assistance. She has received recognition from various government departments and the district administration for promoting women’s empowerment.

Pooja established her bakery business through successful business operations but she wants to grow her company by adding new baked goods which use millet flour as their main ingredient.

She aims to assist women in achieving independence through her training programs which teach them about food business ownership.

Government backing creates community progress

The story demonstrates that rural communities can achieve substantial progress through small projects which receive backing from the government.

Kashmir demonstrates similar initiatives which empower its native young population through local development programs.

Security forces and civil institutions are working together to develop skills, promote self-reliance, and strengthen the social fabric of the Valley. People-centric initiatives under civic action programs are helping bridge the gap between education and employment, giving young people hope and practical skills to earn a living.

Shashtra Seema Bal (SSB) organized a program which offered one month of Skill Development and Computer Training courses in Srinagar, ANI reported.

This program, held in collaboration with the NGO Saving The Future (STF) and with academic support from the Kawa Group of Institutes, Khanyar, aimed to train students in Domestic Data Entry Operator skills and mobile repairing.

The International Institute of Professional Studies (IIPS) in Srinagar hosted a 31-day program which included 50 students who participated in the program with both boys and girls attending.

Several students visited a computer lab space which they had never encountered before. Under the guidance of skilled trainers, they received hands-on training that improved their digital literacy, technical expertise, and confidence.

The program aimed to help students become job-ready and even start their own businesses.

Practical skills inspire hope for future

Participants expressed enthusiasm and appreciation for the opportunity, saying it gave them hope for the future and practical skills they could use to earn a livelihood.

Pooja Devi's story and the youth programs demonstrate how determination and support with skill-building programs can empower people in remote and rural areas.

The study demonstrates how self-employment and women's empowerment together with youth skill development create stronger community networks. The programs provide people with resources and training together with motivational support, which leads to opportunities for building a brighter future through self-sufficient development.

With inputs from agency.