Development Alternatives convenes special exhibition in Lucknow showcasing women lead enterprises in collaboration with UPSRLM, SEED, DST and Vigyan Ashram
Lucknow
| 19 December 2025 : Married at a young age in Jhansi, Uttar
Pradesh, Suman Gautam spent years struggling with poverty and limited
opportunities. Through a women's self-help group, she started small trading
ventures but recognised mobility as her biggest constraint. Learning to drive
an e-rickshaw became her breakthrough - defying social norms to expand her
reach and earning a decent livelihood while building a sanitary pad
distribution network across 30 villages. Suman now is a serial entrepreneur
determined to empower more women, exemplifying how technology has enabled women
to dismantle barriers and create opportunity-driven enterprises.
Suman's
journey reflects a larger transformation underway across Uttar Pradesh - one shaped
by intentional ecosystem building where government, financial institutions,
technology developers, civil society, and women's institutions work in concert.
Government initiatives including one of the biggest national schemes ‘Lakhpati
Didi’ mark a progressive approach to development, recognising women drivers
of economic transformation and local growth. These programmes are creating
pathways from subsistence to scalable enterprise through diversified
livelihoods, clean technologies, and access to non-traditional sectors.
On
18 December 2025, a convening on ‘Livelihood-Centric Technologies for
Promotion of Women-Led Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh’ brought together
diverse actors including government, technology developers, women
entrepreneurs, and sector experts to explore how enterprise-ready technologies
can scale women-run businesses across the state. The event was organised in
collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM),
the Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division of the
Department of Science and Technology (DST), Development Alternatives (DA), and
Vigyan Ashram (VA), at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow. The event focused on
affordable, adaptable, and scalable solutions across energy, food processing,
water, sanitation, building materials, waste management, and agriculture. An
exhibition showcased innovations including a Biomass Cookstove and Solar Fridge
by Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI), Solar Hydro
Distiller by IIT Bombay-Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), Sabjee Cooler by
RuKart, and Multi-Purpose Food Processor by Kisaan Dharambir, technologies
designed for local conditions, demonstrating practical pathways for value
addition and enterprise growth.
"जब
मैंने शुरुआत की, तो किसी को विश्वास नहीं था कि एक महिला ई-रिक्शा चला सकती है या
व्यवसाय चला सकती है," shared Suman Gautam, speaking at the event. "लेकिन
तकनीक ने मुझे आज़ादी दी—ई-रिक्शा ने मुझे गतिशीलता दी और सैनिटरी पैड का व्यवसाय ने
मुझे उद्देश्य दिया। आज मैं 30 गांवों में काम करती हूं, लेकिन मेरा सपना बड़ा है।
मैं चाहती हूं कि हर महिला जाने कि गरीबी स्थायी नहीं है, कि हम ऐसे व्यवसाय बना सकते
हैं जो हमारे परिवारों और समुदायों का समर्थन करें।"
Her
voice was one of many women entrepreneurs who shared experiences of building
technology-based businesses, surfacing practical learnings and real-world
challenges during the event. These narratives revealed what works: technology
adoption succeeds when innovations address real constraints women face -
mobility, time poverty, capital intensity, market access. Scaling from pilots
to widespread adoption requires aligning support systems, market linkages, and
financial products with the realities of women-led enterprises.
Chief
Guest Smt. Deepa Ranjan, IAS, Mission Director, UPSRLM, toured the exhibition
and engaged with women entrepreneurs, exploring how technologies can be
effectively integrated into livelihood programmes. The roundtable discussion on
"Scaling Innovations and Breaking Barriers" examined what it takes to
move innovations from pilots to adoption at scale. The conversation underscored
that technology alone is insufficient; sustainable transformation requires the
alignment of institutional finance, skills development, peer networks, and
market access around women's entrepreneurial potential.
The
event advanced this agenda by strengthening collaboration between UPSRLM and
the SEED Division of DST, connecting rural livelihood institutions with
socially relevant technologies supported under the national TAP-RISE (Technology
Acceleration Platform for Rural Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship)
initiative. Technology spotlight sessions offered insights into
enterprise-ready solutions across energy, water and sanitation, and
agriculture, while networking interactions built concrete linkages between
women's institutions, technology providers, and support organisations.
Women
like Suman are not just participating in Uttar Pradesh's economy - they are
reshaping it. By bringing together science, technology, and rural enterprise
systems, the convening demonstrated that when government, technology
developers, financial institutions, and women entrepreneurs work as partners,
innovation translates into sustainable livelihoods and inclusive economic
growth.
Key
Quotes:
Ms.
Deepa Ranjan, IAS, Mission Director, UPSRLM –
“The
vision is to enable Lakhpati Didis to go beyond existing limits and become
Crorepati Didis. A clear vision and strong entrepreneurial mindset are
essential to setting up successful enterprises. Over one crore women
entrepreneurs from Uttar Pradesh are part of the UPSRLM programme. Participants
are encouraged to explore affordable technologies supported by Development
Alternatives (DA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Such
technologies motivate women to start their own enterprises, become financially
independent, and build sustainable livelihoods.”
Mr.
Janmay Jai Shukla, Joint Mission Director, UPSRLM-
“UPSRLM
actively promotes innovative, technology-based enterprises to help women
increase their incomes and motivate other women to follow the same path. The
progress seen in regions such as Jhansi, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra, where women
are becoming Lakhpati Didis, shows that it is now possible for them to move
further and become Crorepati Didis. Targets are not limitations; with the right
mindset and effort, it is always possible to go beyond set targets by not
restricting one’s own potential.”
Mr. Shrashtant Patara, Chief Executive
Officer, Development Alternatives –
“When
the need for change is recognised and effectively addressed through appropriate
technologies, it provides an initial push, allowing the technology to gain
momentum and accelerate as more people understand the need and adopt the
solution.”
Dr.
Yogesh Kulkarni, Executive Director, Vigyan Ashram – “The
focus is on the Technology Acceleration Platform to promote rural innovation,
strengthen social entrepreneurship, and accelerate technologies that enhance
livelihoods.”
Ms.
Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President, Development Alternatives- She
highlights “the One Million Livelihood Mission and its significant impact on
the lives of rural women, stating that the initiative enables women not only to
become self-reliant but also to create employment opportunities for at least
two other women through a single enterprise, thereby strengthening local
livelihoods and community-based economic growth.”
About:
TAP-RISE | Department of Science and
Technology | Uttar Pradesh State Rural
Livelihood Mission |
Development
Alternatives | Vigram Ashram
|