- ‘Lakhpati Didi Ratna Thakur has become an example of self-reliance’
Ratna Thakur of Tikra Dhanora, a small village in the Tokapal development block of Bastar district, has set an example that everything can be achieved through hard work, innovation, and self-confidence. Joining the National Rural Livelihood Mission (Bihan) and becoming a Lakhpati Didi, Ratna has not only become financially empowered but has also become a source of inspiration for many women in the area.
‘Supplying feed to other districts including Bastar’
Ratna Thakur said that she has been preparing feed for poultry farming through Integrated Farming Cluster for the last three years. The feed produced by her is in demand not only from local poultry farmers but also from Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts. She is getting regular income from this. Ratna said that along with manufacturing feed, she also rears brooding chicks and brings them up and later supplies them to hotels and dhabas. This business has increased her income significantly.
“Additional income from vegetable cultivation using the mulching method.”
Ratna has also adopted modern techniques in agriculture. By cultivating vegetables using the mulching method on approximately two acres of land, she earns an additional income of 15,000 to 20,000 rupees per month. These farming and animal husbandry-based activities have strengthened her family’s financial situation.
Ratna explains that as her only child, she lives with her parents. Her husband, Padmalal Thakur, supports her in every endeavor. Through the family’s collective efforts and earnings from income-generating activities, she has purchased a scooter
and is currently constructing a four-room permanent house.