Morning in the Village
I was walking through Rayagada, and the morning was kind of damp and quiet. Birds chirped somewhere, but not too loudly. There was this woman, Priti, crouched under a tamarind tree. Her hands were sticky with honey, and she glanced up at me like, “Yeah, another stranger.” I wanted to say something, but I just nodded. She said, “Some days, it works, some days… doesn’t.” And that stuck. That’s what the LABHA Yojana is all about. Helping those people who can’t make it work, creating results out of all this effort.
Hours delivered back to the business
SOX compliance in Settlement process automation
Success rate of bot case completion
For functional release of OBT, RTS and OGS
What LABHA Yojana Does
The LABHA Yojana is about giving tribal communities control over their work and earnings. It ensures that people collecting minor forest produce get a fair price for their honey, tamarind, mahua flowers, bamboo, and other resources. Payments go directly to their bank accounts, so no middlemen skim off the income. The program also trains women to run local centers, manages procurement efficiently, and supports small value-added activities like packaging the products. It’s about making sure every day of hard work counts.
Work That Finally Pays
People in these villages have always relied on minor forest produce. Tamarind, mahua flowers, honey, bamboo and everything you can carry in a basket. But for years, middlemen decided what it was worth. You carry the weight all day, walk miles, and end up with next to nothing. Doesn’t this sound unfair? The LABHA Yojana flips that. There’s a minimum price now. You know what you’ll get. It’s not huge, but it’s fair. That makes a difference. You can plan, maybe buy something small for your family, and send the kids to school. Or at least feel like your work actually matters.
Seeing the Difference
I watched one boy show his mother the confirmation on her phone. She squinted, frowned a little, then her lips turned up. That little smile – it’s rare. Small, but you notice it. Some villages have bad internet, so coordinators come to help. Receipts, notes, and old-school pen-and-paper sometimes. Human touch. That’s the beauty of the program. The LABHA Yojana is a mix of tech and real people. Works better than you’d think.
Women Leading the Way
Women running centers, checking produce, guiding collectors. Ankita in Koraput laughed when I asked how it was. “Never thought I’d do this,” she said. And you can see it in her eyes. Pride. Confidence. Authority. She helps others, trains them, and keeps the village running. Small ripple, but it spreads. The LABHA Yojana isn’t just paying for work; it’s giving these women power, voice.
Stories from the Ground
Stories everywhere. Ramu, a honey collector. Walked for two days before and earned nothing. Now? Fair pay. Started a small goat farm. Priti sends her kids to school. Some people save for tools, others just… breathe easier. Ordinary lives, tiny changes, but huge in context. That’s what makes the program real. Not policies, not statistics. People. Living. Surviving. Growing.
Adding Value
Some centers do more now. Processing tamarind, honey, packaging, and sending to markets. Collectors still provide raw material. Women manage value addition. Young people see work at home as, reason not to leave for cities. Tradition meets progress. The LABHA Yojana shows that. It’s subtle. You almost miss it if you’re not looking.
Trust Matters
Trust. Big deal. Tribal communities are cautious. Rightly so. The program pays directly, no middlemen, everything documented. You can see relief in the eyes. I saw a girl show her grandmother a receipt. The grandmother’s eyes softened. Tiny gestures and peaceful moments. But it’s hard-earned trust.
Challenges Along the Way
Challenges, sure. Weather, transport, bad signals, and people not knowing the process. Coordinators fill gaps. Life is messy. Always has been. Labha doesn’t fix everything, but it gives people tools to navigate it. That counts.
Walking Through Change
Walking through villages later, I noticed small things. Children carrying schoolbags that weren’t ripped. Women talking confidently about numbers. Men planning harvests, whispering to each other about next season. The forests provide more than produce now. They give hope. Not big, flashy hope, but steady, daily hope.
A Program That Matters
The LABHA Yojana is more than minimum pricing. It’s dignity and security. It’s women in charge. Families planning. Kids studying. Communities trusting one another again. It’s slow and quiet progress. And maybe that’s the point. Hope is small, messy, imperfect. But it works.
The Results
- 30+ processes delivered
- Over 30,000 hrs delivered back to the business
- 100% SOX compliance in Settlement process automation
- >95% success rate of bot case completion
- SDK delivered for native platforms, enabling Virtual & Live agent communications across multiple mobile platforms
