overty and sometimes was starved for food. Their life changed totally when a social worker told them about the Mahila dairy project, Shanno felt very inspired and started saving for a cattlehead. Today three years after she made the decision, she now owns five animals and the family is living very comfortably. Shanti and Shanno are not the only rural women who have made a success out of their lives by running dairy farms, but there are as many as 76,000 who are supplementing their family income through the highly ambitious "Women dairy project" launched by the Cooperative of Dairy Development. Their entire life style has changed. They have not only become economically independent but now also have a say in panchayat meetings. Although, life has become slightly tough for them, they have to put in four to five hours additionally looking after their cattle, but most of them do not mind this because they used to spend this time earlier gossiping with their neighbours. Hundreds of women in remote villages are running mahila dairy samiti and thus helping out in Operation Flood in the state. Wives of rich farmers have also joined the group to make themselves economically independent. As per the scheme floated by the HRD ministry for the upliftment of the rural women in Uttar Pradesh, state government initiated "Ambedkar Vishesh Rojzar Yogana" in 1991-92 in 59 districts of the state. The objective is to economically strengthen these female members, they are given loan through another scheme of the department. Secondly, they are imparted practical training through cooperative Dairy training centres about managing the milk committee, first aid help, artificial insemination, feeding and milking the cattle. These dudh walies have to form a union called Mahila Dugdh Samiti which manages the marketing of the milk to the milk cooperatives and get the money. Any women who owns one or more animal can become member of this society. The Cooperative of wom...
