Raiganj Women Turn Waste into Wealth, Earning Good Money from Organic Fertilizer

• Women in Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, are transforming discarded vegetable and fruit waste into organic fertilizer.
• The self-help group in Chhatrapur started this Solid Waste Management project in 2017, now supported by the state and district administration.
• Biodegradable waste is collected, mixed with cow dung, and earthworms are added to produce organic fertilizer in about three months.
• 13 women from multiple self-help groups are involved, earning daily wages and selling fertilizer at 1600 rupees per quintal.
• The initiative supports the Nirmal Bangla Mission and empowers women, hailed as a government success by Uttar Dinajpur Zilla Parishad Chairperson Pampa Pal.