Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Government is continuously working towards economically empowering rural women through the National Rural Livelihood Mission. The result of this effort is that Kaushalya Devi, a resident of Barhi village in the Chauri Chaura area of Gorakhpur, has today established a new identity for herself. Her animal husbandry business, which began with limited resources, has now become a strong foundation of her family’s income.
A few years ago, Kaushalya Devi had only 3 cows. Although she earned an income from animal husbandry, she could not get the expected returns due to a lack of resources and market access. During this period, she joined Shri Baba Gorakhnath Kripa Milk Producer Organisation (MPO), formed under the National Rural Livelihood Mission. Here, she received training in animal husbandry, technical guidance, animal health services and better milk marketing facilities. This gave a new direction to her dairy business.
Taking advantage of the training and support, Kaushalya Devi gradually expanded her dairy business. Today, she has 14 animals and supplies around 70 litres of milk to the MPO every day. The result of her hard work was that she earned around Rs 11.50 lakh in income in the first year and later earned around Rs 14 lakh in one and a half years, establishing her identity as a ‘Lakhpati Didi’.
With the support of the MPO and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), a gobargas unit was also installed at her home. This reduced expenditure on household fuel and increased the family’s savings. This initiative made her life even more convenient.
Kaushalya Devi’s success story reached the state and national levels. In July 2025, she shared her experiences with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Meanwhile, during the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with her and appreciated her achievements. Kaushalya Devi’s story proves that with the right guidance, training and market linkage, rural women can become self-reliant and set a new example of economic empowerment.
