CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Neelam Malik of Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh did not lose courage after her husband’s death and made farming the support system for her family. By cultivating sugarcane on about 13 bighas of land, she is not only running the household but has also fulfilled the responsibility of raising and educating her two sons. Her story is an example of the struggle, hard work and self-reliance of rural women.
Neelam Malik was married in 1992 to Bhupendra Malik, a resident of Pinna village in Muzaffarnagar district. They have two sons, Gaurav and Shubham. About 15 years after the marriage, her husband died in a road accident. After this, the entire responsibility of the family came on Neelam’s shoulders. Despite difficult circumstances, she decided to take the family forward through farming.
Neelam grows sugarcane on about 13 bighas of land. From this cultivation, she earns around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh annually. With this income, she ran the household and continued her children’s education. She prepares the budget for farming and domestic needs on the basis of payments received from the sugar mill.
Neelam’s hard work has resulted in her younger son Shubham joining the Uttar Pradesh Police. Her elder son, Gaurav Malik, helps his mother in farming and animal husbandry. Despite limited income, Neelam gave priority to her children’s education and the family’s needs.
According to Neelam, the annual assistance of Rs 6,000 received under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme helps with farming and small family expenses. For her, sugarcane farming is not just a livelihood, but also a means of making the family self-reliant.
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