Women of Barasi village on the path of entrepreneurship with the salty snacks of Mandua and Jhangora

Rajesh Pandey | Doiwala

Sarita Panwar Inspires Women for Entrepreneurship through Self-Help Group “Nayi Kiran”

Sarita Panwar is associated with the self-help group Nayi Kiran and encourages women to become self-reliant through entrepreneurship. Six women from this group have started a small-scale enterprise to manufacture products using locally available resources.

Every day, the women prepare snacks made from Mandua (finger millet), Poha (flattened rice), peanuts, and Jhangora (barnyard millet) using machines installed in a community building in their village. This enterprise has been running successfully for the past five months after training, and each woman earns a monthly profit of approximately ₹5,000 to ₹6,000.

Women from the hilly village of Barasi in Dehradun district are running a small-scale business making millet-based biscuits and snacks. (Photo: Sarthak Pandey)

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, during the Hum Bharat Ke Log Samvad program with Gram Yatri (Village Traveler) Mohit Uniyal, Sarita said,
“We make snacks and biscuits from Mandua every day. We are currently supplying products to Hilans and have set up a stall at Parade Ground. There is a high demand for products made from Mandua and Jhangora, as they are beneficial for health.”

Barasi village, located about 20 km from Dehradun city, houses the Nayi Kiran self-help group’s small-scale enterprise in a room at the village’s far end. The unit includes machines for snack making, drying, and biscuit production at an estimated cost of ₹2.5 lakh.

Sarita shared,
“Until a few months ago, women were mostly engaged in household work and cattle rearing. They had no involvement in entrepreneurship. However, after joining the group, we received training through Girdhar Singh Bisht from IDBI, who supports self-help groups in snack-making. With the help of IDBI, we received a snack-making unit from the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad. IDBI provided us with a 25-day training program, which was attended by 40 women from Barasi. Out of them, six women became part of this small-scale enterprise. The best part is that we didn’t have to pay for the unit, and the raw materials for snack-making were initially provided by the bank.”

The Role of REAP Project

Sarita, who is responsible for marketing the group’s products, also serves as a Group Mobilizer for the REAP Project (Rural Enterprise Acceleration Project). She focuses on encouraging women’s groups to utilize local resources for livelihoods. She explained,
“The project works towards providing a market for group products. This unit primarily focuses on local ingredients like Mandua and Jhangora. Currently, 735 women are associated with the project, and I meet them daily.”

Women at the unit prepare 9-10 kg of snacks daily, including biscuits, which are sold the next day. The local market has a demand for millet-based food products, making it easier to sell their goods.

Sarita added,
“We also set up stalls at fairs held at Dehradun’s Parade Ground. Apart from snacks, the women also produce herbal colors and candles, which we market.”

Women Entrepreneurs Share Their Experiences

• Poonam Manwal: “I enjoy working together with other women to make biscuits and snacks. We are very happy.”
• Mamta Solanki: “Initially, we thought that after training, we would just receive a certificate, and nothing would happen. However, the establishment of this unit and earning income from our own products in our village is truly fulfilling.”
• Sangeeta Manwal: “We continuously produce snacks and biscuits after receiving training.”
• Anita Manwal (President of the Village Organization): “The group has given us an opportunity to learn and grow. We are self-reliant and have full support from our families.”

Community Leaders’ Views

• Anand Manwal (Social Activist from Barasi):
  “Connecting women with entrepreneurship is a great initiative. The government should take similar initiatives to curb migration from remote hill villages.”
• Gram Yatri Mohit Uniyal:
  “Small industries are a powerful tool for empowerment, but they require government support. Local products need value addition and better market access. The use of Mandua and Jhangora in biscuits and snacks is a great step towards boosting the rural economy.”

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