From hooch seller to vegetable vendor: Sumila thanks Phulo Jhanu scheme

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Oct 14:   The Phulo Jhanu Ashirwad Scheme envisages enhancement of earning ways with respect for women with meager means of livelihood. Instances of women in their bid to add their ‘microscopic’ earning to the family coffers have had to adopt illegal ways to live to fight another day of toil and risks. A case in point is that of Sumila Patro who, until the other day, was selling hooch to tend to the kitchen oven. Her husband, Mahendra Patro is a daily laborer forced to go to urban localities in quest of a job to bring back a fistful of rice for the family so that the lot can attempt to get some sleep with less than half a stomach full.

However, the dream of adding a touch of curry to go with rice may be touching the reality avenue for Sumila and her family. The Phulo Jhanu scheme has given a fillip to Sumila’s desire of at least making a bold statement on her means to an honorable livelihood. Under the government’s Phulo Jhanu scheme, she received a cheque of Rs 10 thousand and the glint in her eyes reflected hope of a new beginning. Sumila recounted, “My husband, a daily wage earner was finding it difficult to fend single handedly for our large family. Though unwilling, I was forced to sell country brew to add to the gloomy family coffers. But then, for people like us, we cannot have the cake and eat it too. Then, this group, JSLPS was formed that was akin to a cooperative. In 2020, I joined the Jwala Ajivika Sakhi Mandal and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands because I detested being known as a Hadia (rice beer) seller. But today, with an interest free loan of Rs 10 thousand, I will be able to better my family’s financial position and have decided upon setting up a vegetable shop and lead a dignified money earning way.”

There are many more Sumilas waiting in the wings to follow the lead and the Phulo Jhanu scheme is beckoning them. Like Sumila, the others of her ilk will also be thanking the government for showing them the light at the end of the survival tunnel —- a light of hope, a light of leading a life of dignity.

A motivating factor has been the Deputy Commissioner, Vijaya Jadhav whose appeal to women surviving on hooch sales, has been a motivating factor and more women are falling in line to justify the government’s Phulo Jhanu Ashirwad Yojana. The DC said, “The Phulo Jhanu Ashirwad Yojana is an ambitious scheme of the state government to uplift women’s social and economic status. The scheme provides an alternate source of income to the current hooch avenue.”

the Deputy Commissioner has appealed to women to apply for the interest free loan at the JSLPS stall and move towards a new beginning, a new hope to make survival better and more dignified.