https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Growing Mushrooms, Becoming Entrepreneurs: Inspiring Story of Murhu Women

In a positive development, the women of Murhu block, Khunti district, Jharkhand, are taking up mushroom cultivation actively. Earlier these women were engaged in household work or helped their husbands in the fields. Now they cultivate oyster mushroom with help from the district administration and have turned into entrepreneurs.
Indian Masterminds Stories

There is large scale migration of people from rural areas as well as semi-urban areas to big cities for livelihood opportunities. To stem it, self-employment is the only solution. But self-employment is not easy because of problems of funds, proper training and lack of business know how.

However, in Khunti district of Jharkhand, winds of change are blowing and taking the lead this time are its women. In Murhu block of the district, women are turning into farmers and cultivating mushroom as a means of self-employment. The district administration is going all out to encourage and help them under the able leadership of 2014-batch IAS officer Shashi Ranjan.

Indian Masterminds spoke to Mr. Ranjan to find out more about this positive change in the district.

2014-batch IAS officer Shashi Ranjan, DC Khunti

PROMOTING MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

Mushroom cultivation is being promoted big time by the district administration in order to make women of Self Help Group (SHGs) strong and self-reliant.

16,000 oyster mushroom bags were provided to the women farmers of 400 Sakhi Mandals (SHGs). Apart from this, they were given 5 days panchayat level training on mushroom cultivation. Financial assistance is also provided as and when needed.

GROWING MUSHROOMS

Mr. Shashi Ranjan told Indian Masterminds, “I have identified Murhu block as a cluster for mushroom cultivation. The land here is not normally suitable for agriculture. Irrigation facilities are also not so good. So, after the ‘kharif’ crop season ends, lots of people, especially women, migrate to other places to find work. So, we wanted to provide an alternate livelihood opportunity to the women at their own places through mushroom cultivation.”

BENIFITTING WOMEN& CHILDREN

With limited livelihood options in the village, mushroom cultivation has opened a new avenue for increasing incomes as it has a ready market. The women can easily find local buyers for their produce.

Since mushroom cultivation is neither labour intensive nor requires high investment, so even single women can opt for it.Women of Self Help Groups are working to provide financial support to their families by cultivating mushrooms on a large scale. Due to this, as the earnings increase, there is a change in the education and living conditions of the children, too.

Most of the women who are cultivating mushrooms were engaged in domestic work before and, also, helped the men in agricultural work. But now,they are becoming successful and self-sufficient through mushroom cultivation.

WOMEN BECOMING ENTREPRENEURS

The district administration keeps training and updating the women farmers about the production and profits of the different types of mushrooms and its market availability.

Mushroom is a high yielding and fast-growing crop and a great source of potassium, iron, protein etc. Oyster mushrooms are a rich source of protein and fibre and contain iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus besides folic acid and other vitamins.

Unlike vegetables or cereal crops, mushrooms do not require much manual labour, financial investment or time. The crop, which has a short growth cycle,is a good cultivation option for women to become financially independent. As can be seen in Murhu block of Khunti, where oyster mushroom cultivation has turned many women into entrepreneurs.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
UPSC Latest IAS IPS IFS
Puja Khedkar Impact: UPSC’s New Aadhaar-Enabled Portal Sees Overwhelming Response, 92% Applicants Opt for Biometric Authentication
Odisha govt_resized
Odisha: 1 IPS & 1 OPS Officer Transferred, 2 Districts Get New SP, Manoj Kumar Rout Made SP, Bhadrak
Karnataka-govt-announces-state-wide-close-down-for-14-days
RCB Felicitation Stampede Fallout: 5 Senior Officers Suspended, IPS Seemanth Singh Appointed New Bengaluru Police Commissioner
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
Ruchika Chauhan IAS
Leading By Example: Gwalior DC Ruchika Chauhan Arrives At Her Office Boarding An E-Rickshaw! Delivers A Strong Message On World Environment Day
KVIC Khadi and Village Industries
KVIC Disburses Rs. 300 Crore Margin Money Subsidy Under PMEGP to Boost Self-Employment - Details Inside
Pic 2
HUDCO Champions Green Urban Development on World Environment Day 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
UPSC Latest IAS IPS IFS
Puja Khedkar Impact: UPSC’s New Aadhaar-Enabled Portal Sees Overwhelming Response, 92% Applicants Opt for Biometric Authentication
Odisha govt_resized
Odisha: 1 IPS & 1 OPS Officer Transferred, 2 Districts Get New SP, Manoj Kumar Rout Made SP, Bhadrak
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT