Kamal Kumbhar had an urge to contribute to her family’s income. After attending an event that supports female entrepreneurs, she started her first enterprise in 2002.

Having dropped out of school after Class 10 and married at 17, an NGO helped her hone her skills and start a bangle-making business.

This kicked off the Osmanabad resident’s foray into entrepreneurship, which has grown into multiple businesses today.

What’s amazing is that she started her first bangle business with Rs 10 from a self-help group. She would go door to door to sell her wares.

Along with selling, she would also encourage each woman she met to start a business of their own and work towards financial independence.

After various businesses, she ventured into poultry farming in 2015, believing it would lead her towards success.

“I thought of launching something big, yet different. The poultry business, especially goat breeding, seemed like a new and successful option,” she explains.

She launched Kamal Poultry and later Ekta Sakhi Producer Company, a poultry-cum-hatchery business.

Kamal manages six different enterprises in Osmanabad — including an organic farming business, a compost business, a mess for school children, a light bulb business, and two poultry ventures.

She also gives equal importance to training women, for which she charges Rs 100 per month for training for 10 months.

“I teach them how to start a bank account, what business they should choose, how to do market research, expected income and more. I also tell them about the available Government schemes,” says Kamal.

Kamal says she has trained 70 women in her village alone and 5,000 in all of Maharashtra. She proudly states that the women she trained are earning up to Rs 50,000 per month now.

The entrepreneur has also worked with Urja in Maharashtra to solve the power crisis and promote clean energy by distributing solar lights to 3,000 households.

She has received many awards for her work, including the Nari Shakti Puraskar and Women Transforming India Award, organised by the United Nations and NITI Aayog.

“Women who don’t even have proper homes approach me every day. I want to help them all achieve everything they wish for. All they need is an initial push. They are capable enough to take it forward and share strength with fellow women,” she says.

“I also want each one of them to educate their children and save for their future. I believe that the fate of rural India is in the hands of the upcoming generation. It is our responsibility to lead them,” she adds.