Gurgaon: Pooja Sharma‘s story began much like that of many rural girls in Haryana. She studied till Class 10 and married at the age of 20. But some time between raising three children and manoeuvring financial pressures, the now 46-year-old entrepreneur quietly sketched her career not only as a financially independent woman but also one who transforms the lives of others.Once a beneficiary of the govt’s “Lakhpati Didi” initiative, Pooja has been building a rural enterprise rooted in millets, dairy and women’s collective strength. She formed a self-help group of women who began selling their products at govt-organised trade fairs, gradually building a customer base.“We take whatever work comes our way,” she says. In January 2025, she was invited to the At Home Reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan. But the journey goes back to 2008. Her husband had no regular job and Pooja juggled household responsibilities in a family with limited income. Opportunities were scarce.That year, she joined an NGO with a monthly salary of Rs 2,500. The job involved working with women and children in villages, spreading awareness about health and education. For the first time, she stepped out of her home regularly, interacted with strangers and gained the confidence to earn and contribute to the family. She continued working with the NGO until 2010, but by then a seed of entrepreneurship had already taken root.In 2010, with limited resources but growing confidence, she started a dairy business with a single cow from a 150-year-old abandoned house structure. She repaired it and gradually increased the number of cows to seven, turning the space into a modest but functional dairy unit.The venture provided some stability, but the real change in her life came three years later.In 2013, a training organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra introduced Pooja and several village women to the idea of making roasted soya products. Even attending the training was a challenge.“At that time I did not even have money to cover my travel expenses to reach the training centre. KVK helped us with the transportation cost after adjusting the snacks provided at the training,” Pooja recalls.With govt support, she formed a self-help group and began producing millet-based food products. “Farmers cannot decide the price of their produce,” Pooja says. “But after value addition, farmers like us can sell our products at our own price.”Participating in trade fairs across different cities required long hours and frequent travel. “We could not close our stalls before 8pm, and by the time I reached home it was late,” she says.She even stopped wearing ankle bracelets to keep late evening movements discreet. “It was difficult and challenging to go against social norms, but I knew I had to move forward,” she says.The next milestone came in 2017, when an NGO helped her set up a bakery unit at the same house where she once ran her dairy. “They provided training from a professional chef and helped us with marketing,” Pooja says.Just as the business began to gain momentum, the pandemic struck. The NGO, facing financial constraints, withdrew from the project. The sudden setback left Pooja struggling. At one point, she did not even have enough money to pay the electricity bill. But instead of shutting down, she adapted.She started producing millet-based biscuits at an affordable price range. “We survived during Covid, and all the women working with us continued to have a source of income,” Pooja says.Today, the operation has grown into a small but organised rural enterprise which provides direct employment to around 20 women and provides work and financial support to nearly 150 women. The group directly sources grains from farmers, operates its own flour mills, and manages production entirely in-house to maintain quality.They also produce customised products and undertake white-labelling, accepting orders from different clients. In 2023, Pooja was recognised as a “Lakhpati Didi”, a govt initiative that celebrates women entrepreneurs earning more than Rs 1 lakh annually through self-help groups. Govt orders started coming in, and the scale of operations expanded significantly. Among the most notable assignments was the supply of 15 lakh laddoos for the mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal. Her products are now also available in HAFED stores across Haryana and she regularly handles bulk orders, pushing her enterprise into a new league of rural businesses.Birth of ‘Millet Mom’In November 2024, Pooja registered her company Kshitiz Pvt Ltd and launched her brand “Millet Mom”. The products are sold through the company’s website, with plans underway to expand distribution through e-commerce platforms. Recognition came steadily through the years: the Agri Leadership Award in 2015, Innovative Farmer in 2016, and the Nari Shakti Award from the President of India in 2022. More recently, on March 2, 2026, she participated in a roundtable meeting with Diana Fox Carney, wife of Mark Carney, at the Embassy of Canada in Delhi.Beyond her personal success, Pooja sees her greatest achievement in the collective progress of the women around her. Nearly 150 women are now associated with the self-help groups she mentors and works with—earning incomes, gaining confidence and stepping into roles that once seemed impossible.“Through self-help groups (SHG), the women not only get the work but also financial support in time of need. The money brought respect and recognition in their house and family,” says Pooja, adding that many women associated with her SHG are now Lakhpati Didis, and some started their own venture.
