North East women have been finding different ways to become self-reliant.
Archita Ray, a resident of the town of Amtali in Tripura, has been running a private hatchery successfully for the last 14 years.
Kanup Hatchery is one of the first private hatcheries in Tripura to be run by a woman.
Previously, excluding a small government hatchery, the state was mostly dependent on Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal for poultry chicken.
The absence of a private hatchery in the state motivated Archita to start one of her own.
She took a few months training in the government hatchery, and with a government loan of Rs.5 lakh, she started her venture in 1995.
"Now, the situation has changed and we supply chicken throughout the state. Poultry farms have come up in the entire state unlike earlier when there were a few poultry farms. So, our hatchery business is doing well as demand has increased.
With the decline of insurgency, hundreds of poultry farms have come up which provide employment to people, especially in remote rural areas.
The demand for chicken has shot up, making hatchery a profitable business option.
At present the Kanup unit's total monthly production is 2,80,000 chicks.
The unit currently employs eight people.
Working here is a good experience
Vishnu Debnath, a worker, said: "I like working here. Initially, when I joined, I never thought that I would work here for so long. However, I am still learning and I want to continue here."
Archita is a shining example of determination and hard work that lead to success.
