Tripura woman turns self-reliant with handmade Hatchery machines, earns praise from Governor

A remarkable example of women’s empowerment has emerged from Kailashahar, where a woman has proven that determination and innovation can transform lives.

Jumera Begum, a resident of Ward No. 3 under Gournagar Gram Panchayat in Kailashahar of Unakoti distrit, has drawn widespread appreciation across Tripura and even at the national level after her inspiring story surfaced on social media.

Jumera Begum is the wife of Islam Ali, a marginal farmer who earns a living by cultivating others’ land as he owns none himself. The couple lives with their children and has long struggled with poverty. A few years ago, on the advice of local resident Namita Debnath, Jumera joined the “Noorjahan” Self-Help Group (SHG), although she initially had little understanding of how such groups functioned or how they could benefit her.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when people were confined to their homes and income sources dried up, the family faced severe financial hardship. With no earnings, Islam Ali’s family was pushed to the brink of starvation. During this difficult time, Jumera came across a video on YouTube showing how to build a handmade poultry egg hatchery machine. Fascinated by the idea, she carefully watched the videos for several days and eventually began building the machine on her own. Later, her husband also joined in to help.

A single handmade hatchery machine can incubate up to 300 eggs at a time and successfully hatch chicks within 21 days at a relatively low cost. However, making one machine requires an investment of around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, which the family initially could not afford.

Jumera later invited Namita Debnath to her home and demonstrated the hatchery machine she had built. Upon learning about Jumera’s plans to produce and sell more machines, Debnath advised her to apply for a loan through the Gournagar SHG Village Federation. Soon after submitting the necessary documents, Jumera received a loan of Rs 1 lakh from the federation.

With the financial support, Jumera began producing more hatchery machines. With the help of the then Block Development Officer (BDO) of Gournagar block, Rameshwar Chakraborty, she was able to sell several machines in Panisagar, Damcherra and Yubarajnagar blocks. From that point on, Jumera’s journey toward self-reliance gathered momentum.

Today, Jumera Begum is widely recognized in society as a successful and self-reliant entrepreneur.

Recently, during a visit to the Unakoti tourist site, the Governor of Tripura, Indrasena Reddy Nallu observed the activities of several Self-Help Groups. When the Governor saw the handmade hatchery machine made by Jumera Begum, a member of the Noorjahan SHG under the Gournagar SHG Village Federation, he was highly impressed and praised her efforts. The Governor also assured her that she could contact him if she required any administrative or government assistance.

Later, after returning to Agartala, the Governor discussed the matter with officials of the Animal Resources Development Department and district magistrates of several districts. Following these discussions, an order was placed for ten hatchery machines.

Accordingly, on Saturday ( March 14), during a brief programme held at Jumera Begum’s residence and organized by the Gournagar SHG Village Federation, Gournagar Block BDO Nabarun Chakraborty formally handed over ten handmade hatchery machines to Animal Resources Development Department official Dr Tapan Roy.

Among those present at the programme were Gournagar SHG Village Federation president Namita Debnath, Abahan Cluster secretary Chitra Sinha, TRLM officials Tushar Kanti Baul, Shanta Komal Chakma and Pratish Malakar, along with several other officials.

Speaking after the event, TRLM official Tushar Kanti Baul said that Jumera Begum has created a significant impact across Tripura and even the country with her handmade backyard poultry incubator machines over the past few years. Once struggling in extreme poverty, Jumera Begum and her husband Islam Ali are now well-established and living with dignity like other respected members of society.

Apart from the hatchery unit at her residence, the couple also runs another unit named “Shubha Hatchery” at Gournagar market.

Many believe that Jumera Begum’s inspiring journey will encourage other women in society to become self-reliant and pursue entrepreneurship.