Berhampur: A 40-year-old Lakhpati Didi from Odisha’s Ganjam district has received an invitation to attend ‘At Home Reception’ hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Independence Day.
S Jyoti Reddy of Kaliabali in Chhatrapur block formed a self-help group (SHG) with 15 women of her village in 2008. The change came in 2012 when Southco, the power distribution company here, decided to outsource the billing and collection of energy charges to SHGs. Today, Reddy earns around Rs 12,000 every month from collecting electricity bills and another Rs 30,000 monthly from a poultry business which she started two years ago with a Rs 3 lakh bank loan, contributing to her Lakhpati Didi status.
“I’m thrilled and honoured by this invitation,” she told the media.
She is the only Lakhpati Didi from the district selected for the August 15 event, Santosh Kumar Rath, district project manager of Odisha Livelihood Mission told TOI.