Geographical Location
State | Rajasthan |
District | Chittorgarh |
Block | Begun |
Gram Panchayat | Pranheda |
Village | Amerpura |
Personal Details
Name of the Entrepreneur |
Vinod |
Name of the SHG which has provided the loan to the entrepreneur |
Arathi |
Name of the SHG Member related to the entrepreneur |
BhavariBai |
Relationship with the SHG Member |
Son |
Vinod’s story is that of successful village entrepreneur who leveraged the potential of his family’s traditional job; Cobblery. Vinod once represented the frustrated Indian youth who struggled to find employment. His quest for one never yielded any result. When he was convinced that self-employment was the way ahead for him, he approached Durga Rao, the Micro Enterprise Consultant who had successfully helped establish few businesses in his village. Following initial rounds of discussion, Durga understood that though Vinod never learnt cobblery, he had a penchant for it. She further understood that setting up a footwear manufacturing enterprise with the help of Rameshwar, Vinod’s father, could be a feasible option. Vinod was interested to establish a shop in a favourable location where shoes could be manufactured and repaired by his father. Rameshwar previously worked from his home and attracted minimum customers despite being good at what he does.
MEC’s intervention made a sea of change for Vinod and his family. Durga came up with a business idea with inputs from Vinod and Rameshwar. Vinod took up the task of procuring best quality leather from Bhilwara town and for marketing the shoes and chappals which Rameshwar made. A loan of Rs. 40,000 was provided by Begun Block Resource Centre to set up a shop near Parsoli town alongside the busy Kota-Udaipur highway. Since the setting up of the enterprise, Rameshwar has been making high-quality, durable traditional shoes and chappals in a very cost-effective manner. He has been producing two pairs of shoes/chappal a day. They usually fetch 350-500 rupees per pair. In addition, he has been getting considerable number of repair works everyday as his shop which is located in a busy location.
Rameshwar is seen busy attending his customer. Vinod’s wife can also be seen in the picture
In addition, Vinod’s wife has taken advantage of the opportunity at hand and started selling vegetables and snacks beside their shop. This way, she could give company to her aging father-in-law while earning a little more through her own efforts. Vinod remarks, “My father is a chronic asthma patient and I feel guilty that I have to make him work at this age. But this won’t last for long. I am saving each penny from the business so that I can start a business in this very location which can be handled all by myself. Preferably a hotel or a vegetable/fruit stall which also sells fruit juices. This location is suitable for such businesses. With MEC and SVEP for support, I don’t think that this is a distant dream.”