BATHINDA, Oct. 5 -- Rejected bank loan sparked a Rs.4-crore beekeeping revolution for 300 rural women in the district

A beekeeping initiative is enabling nearly 300 rural women in Bathinda district to strengthen their families' livelihoods after five years of harvesting honey.

Started after their loan application was rejected by a nationalised bank in 2021, the women self-help groups (SHGs) in five villages have grown into a women's empowerment movement, and they now hope to produce 75,000 kilograms of honey worth nearly Rs.4 crore this year.

In 2021, Bathinda was selected under the Centre's One District One Product (ODOP) programme to provide an alternative livelihood model for farmers in the district.

Mentored by experts at Krishi V...