Woman Empowerment: Why this remote Maharashtra tribal village got special mention in PM Modi’s Mann ki Baat recent episode

Woman Empowerment: Why this remote Maharashtra tribal village got special mention in PM Modi’s Mann ki Baat recent episode

In a Naxalite-affected village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, a passenger bus rolled for the first time since independence. This historic initiative was mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the recent episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on May 25, 2025. 

Mann Ki Baat on May 25, 2025

“Friends, travelling by bus is such a common thing. But I want to tell you about a village where a bus reached for the first time. The people there had been waiting for this day for years. And when the bus arrived in the village for the first time, people welcomed it by playing drums. People were extremely happy to see the bus,” said PM Modi while addressing the people in his Mann ki Baat programme.

“There was a paved road in the village; people needed it, but a bus had never been able to run here before. Why, because this village was affected by Maoist violence. This place is in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, and the name of this village is Katejhari. This change in Katejhari is being felt in the entire surrounding area. Now, the situation here is rapidly becoming normal. Due to the collective fight against Maoism, basic facilities have started reaching even such areas. The villagers say that with the arrival of the bus, their lives will become much easier,” Modi further said.

With this, the infrastructure will start improving in the village, and this will also provide better access to economic opportunities, healthcare, education, and overall development in the area.

On the other hand, this development is helpful for ‘Cycle Pure Agarbathi’. Through this company, the village women took up the opportunity to earn a living, in the middle of the wilderness, by rolling agarbattis (incense sticks) with dignity, skill, and silent resolve.

According to a post by CEO Arjun Ranga of Cycle Pure Agarbathi on LinkedIn, in 2014, Cycle began its partnership with the Gadchiroli Agarbatti Project (GAP)- a livelihood initiative supported by the Maharashtra Government. Since then, it has grown into a self-sustaining ecosystem that engages over 1,200 women today, and has touched the lives of nearly 1,00,000 tribal women across agarbatti production, cotton wick making, and bamboo processing for Cycle Pure Agarbathi.

Cycle has procured over 5,500 tonnes of raw agarbatti, 800,000 dozen cotton wicks, and supported tribal communities in processing non-timber forest produce. 

This initiative has matured into a strong rural network producing world-class prayer products that are used in over 75 countries. 

According to Ranga, The women of Gadchiroli are learning, and leading. From understanding quality control and managing stock to repairing machines and handling accounts, they have taken ownership of their growth. The average household income has increased 3X+. 

Even during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, when most of the world was locked down, the women of Gadchiroli showed up and produced 150 tonnes of incense in just 60 days and earned ₹30 lakhs in wages.