PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 17 -- Just a few years ago, 52-year-old Manisha Sahu of Ismailpur village in the trans-Ganga region of Prayagraj was struggling to keep her household afloat. Her husband, a casual labourer, had become bedridden due to a severe illness, leaving the family with no steady income. Unable to afford her children's schooling, she sent them to her parents' home in nearby Phulpur, where her father took charge of their education. Manisha stayed behind, determined to find a way to rebuild her life.

Her turning point came in 2020, when she joined the Maa Ganga Self-Help Group (SHG) under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM). She became a "Bijli Sakhi," responsible for collecting electricity bill payments in nearb...