10 years of Mudra Yojana: Success stories of Saharsa entrepreneurs draw attention

As the scheme laid the foundation for a new era of grassroots entrepreneurship by providing loans to micro and small businesses, it helped the lower rung of society to take loans without any collateral and 'fund' their dream of self-reliance.

Under the Mudra Yojana, people like tea sellers, salon owners, those running stitching businesses, mobile repair shops and mechanic garages got loans to start and further their enterprise.

Out of crores of beneficiaries, there are umpteen success stories, whose transformation over the years, goes to justify the intention and motive of the scheme.

In Bihar’s Saharsa district, a couple of beneficiaries shared the story of drastic change in their lives, after receiving funding under the PMMY.

Dinesh Agarwal, a resident of Saharsa city in Bihar, who earlier worked in a private firm owned by his brother and now runs a plastic product-based enterprise, shared his success story with IANS.

"Two years ago, I was working in a hardware business but after getting benefits of the Mudra Yojana, I got the idea of going into business on my own," he said.

He went to Punjab National Bank, enquired about the Mudra Yojana from there and availed the loan with relative ease.

After getting a loan of Rs 10 lakh under the Mudra Yojana, he set up his plastic products business, 18 months ago and is now taking it forward.

He says that he has benefited a lot from the PMMY and is thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening the doors of entrepreneurship for unprivileged people like him.

Megha Rani, a resident of Batraha Mohalla in Saharsa city, who runs a surgical store, also recalled her journey from being on the brink of collapse to a fledgling yet robust business.

Speaking to IANS, she said, “In 2020, the financial condition of our house was very bad. After my husband became unemployed, I started my own business with a loan of Rs 10 lakh from the Punjab National Bank. As my business grew, the bank also increased the loan amount to Rs 20 lakh."

Today, her enterprise is generating good revenue as well as employment opportunities for many in the neighbourhood.

She is all praise for PM Modi and doesn't hesitate to admit that the driving force behind the improvement of her financial condition is none other than PMMY.