Sundari Builds Dairy Enterprise with Gruhalakshmi Aid
Sundari, a mother of two from Badinaru in Kodimbady village, Puttur taluk, had previously relied mainly on her husband’s daily earnings of about Rs 400. The income was used for household costs, while Sundari had no separate source of earnings.
The Gruhalakshmi scheme provides eligible women with Rs 2,000 each month. Sundari set aside Rs 4,000 from her first two payments and used the savings to buy a calf. She then directed proceeds from her dairy activities towards the purchase of additional livestock and other needs connected with the operation.
Her herd has since grown to five cattle. Milk production has reached between 55 and 60 litres per day, which she delivers to the local cooperative society. The expansion has created an income stream under her control and added to the household’s financial resources.
Transport became a practical issue as the business grew. Carrying milk on foot over Puttur’s hilly terrain was difficult, so Sundari bought a second-hand scooter for Rs 40,000. She contributed Rs 10,000 from her own savings, while her husband provided financial help and her mother gave her a loan.
Sundari has also extended her agricultural activity beyond livestock. On jointly owned family land, she planted 300 arecanut saplings. For the dairy, she received assistance in obtaining equipment including rubber mats for the cattle and a grass-cutting machine.
State officials recognised her work on September 10 at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, during the state-level Gruhalakshmi Sadhaki programme. Sundari credited Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and Jayaprakash Badinaru, the former vice-president of the Kodimbady gram panchayat, with encouraging her and helping her secure the dairy equipment.
Sundari said the monthly payments allowed her to begin investing in livestock instead of depending entirely on the family’s existing income. The enterprise has expanded from the first calf bought with her savings to a five-animal herd supplying milk through a local collection system.
