Patna, April 4 : Julie Praveen, a resident of Bihar's Saharsa district, has become an example of self-reliance. Her success story of launching and steering the pickle business is inspiring fellow villagers to take up the entrepreneurship route.

Julie, with her pickle business, not only saved her family from financial turmoil but also brought positive change in the lives of other women by providing them employment.

Julie Praveen's husband, Mohd Mehtab, used to run a shoe-slipper business, but the Covid pandemic resulted in the closure of his shop. Sales dropped drastically, and it was shut by the end of 2021. The sudden financial crisis put the whole family in trouble.

The family was troubled, but Julie didn't give up hope. She started a pickle-making business in January 2022 from a small rented house. Initially, she earned only Rs 50,000 a year, but gradually her home-made pickles became popular in the locality and found many buyers.

During this time, Julie got a loan of Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister's Entrepreneur Scheme, with which she expanded her business further. Now Julie is making 10 quintals of pickle every month and selling it in the market.

Julie Praveen, sharing her experience with IANS, said, "I never imagined that the pickle-making business would grow to such a large size. Now my dream is to expand this business and provide employment to more and more women."

Mohammad Mehtab says that Julie's endeavour and enterprise has changed their lives.

'When our old business closed, we were very upset, but today we have become self-reliant again. Although there was some difficulty in the beginning but we kept moving forward,' he said.

The pickles made by Julie have now become famous in the entire area. She prepares 12 types of pickles, the most prominent among them being red chilli bharua, mixed pickle, green chilli, amla, jackfruit, tamarind and kairi and biryani special pickle.

The demand for the pickles made by her is also increasing in the nearby villages and cities.

Today, Julie is also providing employment to three other women named Khalida Razia, Gulbasa and Gulzara Praveen. She pays them Rs 200 per day.

Julie Praveen's successful enterprise reinforces the belief that hard work pays off. Today, she is supporting her family with her venture and also showing the way to other women to become self-reliant.

/IANS