Bengaluru, Aug 31 (IANS) T.S. Ningamma, a small-time vendor and her family lived in penury. They faced financial hardship on a daily basis until they secured a loan under the PM SVANidhi scheme and started their food business. After she and her husband started their own venture selling idli, dosa and sambhar, their troubles became a thing of the past as they kept climbing the stairs of success, one after another.
The inspiring journey of T.S. Ningamma was incorporated into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, where he lauded their entrepreneurial spirit and also extended best wishes for the family’s bright future.
Noting Ningamma ji’s transformational journey, PM Modi said that she upgraded her cart with assistance from PM SVANidhi and added a variety of items to the menu.
“As customers and earnings increased, the family’s financial situation improved. Today, she can provide a better education for her three children,” PM Modi noted.
Ningamma spoke to IANS, elucidating how the PM SVANidhi scheme turned out to be a boon for her entire family and how the welfare scheme was being instrumental for many deprived families like hers.
“We have benefited a lot. We took loans of Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000. With that, we improved the shop, educated our children and have been managing our lives.
“Before taking the loan, I didn’t have anything to start the shop. I was making things with the utensils I had at home and putting them on a table. I took a loan of Rs 10,000. With that Rs 10,000, I bought a cart and utensils. I kept improving, paid my children’s school fees, and then I got Rs 20,000. With that Rs 20,000, I improved further, hired some workers and expanded,” she added.
When asked about her name being mentioned by PM Modi, she said that she was very happy, very happy, and it’s a great honour for her as well as the family that the Prime Minister acknowledged their endeavour.
“More than anyone else, my brother, my sister-in-law, my father and my mother are very happy,” she added.
The Prime Minister, while greeting Ningamma on her success story, also said that when a woman’s business grows, the future of her entire family advances along with it.
Notably, the PM SVANidhi scheme was launched in June 2020, as a first-of-its-kind micro-credit initiative focused on street vendors with government-backed credit guarantee support. Today, it has evolved far beyond a simple loan programme to a nationwide movement advancing financial empowerment, digital inclusion and social security for millions working in the informal economy.
–IANS
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