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
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
Nitin Gadkari
India to Become Net Energy Exporter in 6-7 Years, Highlights Hydrogen and Biofuels: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Bank of India - BOI
Bank of India Plans to Raise Rs 20,000 Crore via Infrastructure Bonds in FY 2025-26
BEML Limited
For Operational Excellence, BEML Lays Foundation of State-of-the-Art Central Warehousing Centre in Bilaspur
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
678341a1754f9-ias-prashant-kumar-singh-appointed-as-manipur-chief-secretary-12142054-16x9
IAS Prashant Kumar Singh: Taking Charge of Manipur in Its Toughest Hour
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT