“This year we are celebrating one million women entrepreneurs, so please join our celebration, the celebration of women power in rural India,” said Chetna Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, after receiving the BL Changemaker Award for Financial Transformation, 2024.

“I never thought of setting up a banking institution. I was inspired by Jayaprakash Narayan and moved to Mhaswad village in Satara. A woman came to me wanting to save ₹3 every day. She had no surplus. Banks refused to open accounts for her, saying she was not an affordable clients, so we thought, why not have our own bank? That’s how it started,” she explained.

Under Chetna Sinha’s leadership, Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank has revolutionised the financial landscape for rural women, offering much more than traditional banking services. The bank has become a lifeline for women entrepreneurs in the drought-prone region of Mandesh, Maharashtra, providing them with customised credit solutions, digital access and sustainable growth opportunities.

Modest beginnings

Starting modestly in 1997 with just 1,335 members, Mann Deshi has since grown into a flourishing financial institution with over 30,000 members, empowering women to overcome adversity and build thriving enterprises.

“Village women are using digital technology and are empowering the digitisation of India. Mann Deshi Bank is setting up a fund for women entrepreneurs by approaching the stock exchange. Village women’s courage is our capital,” said Sinha.

Through innovative services like doorstep banking, thumbprint-based digital transactions and partnerships that help rural women scale their businesses online, the bank has significantly improved the lives of thousands, creating lasting economic change in the community.

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