Hyderabad, Jan. 20 -- Palamakula Aruna of Yerugollapadu village in Jangaon Mandal has emerged as a symbol of rural women's empowerment by breaking stereotypes and successfully operating a JCB, a field traditionally dominated by men.
Aruna, who studied up to Class 10, faced severe hardships after losing her father at a young age. After her marriage in 2012, she and her husband Nagaraju received little support from their families and struggled with debts. While Nagaraju worked as a JCB driver, Aruna earned a livelihood through farm labour and tailoring.
A major turning point came in 2013 when Aruna joined a Self-Help Group (SHG). With an SHG loan of Rs 1 lakh in 2014, the family began clearing old debts and stabilising its finances. In 2019...