Arti Rana
Bornc. 1976 (age approx. 48)
OccupationSocial entrepreneur
Known forWomen self-help groups

Arti Rana (born c. 1976) is an Indian social entrepreneur. She helps fellow Tharu women to set up groups to make and sell handicrafts. In 2022, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian award for women in India.

Career

Arti Rana was born around 1976. She is Tharu and lives in the Terai, near the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and the border with Nepal.[1] Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, she set up Gautam self-employment to make items such as carpets, baskets and bags.[1] The group worked with materials like moonj grass and jute.[2][3]

Tharu Hath KargaGharelu Udyog handicraft workers in Gabroula

By 2016, Rana had trained around 800 Tharu women.[4] The business expanded, and by 2022 she was employing hundreds of women to make handicrafts.[1] Rana was the president of the self-help group Tharu Hath KargaGharelu Udyog, which received assistance from the World Wide Fund for Nature to make its looms more efficient.[5] In 2019, it was announced that a visitors centre would be built at the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve to inform tourists about Tharu heritage and sell local products; Rana was one of the co-ordinators for the project.[6]

Awards and recognition

Rana's entrepreneurship was recognized with a Rani Laxmibai Bravery award in 2016 and a Gram Swaraj award.[1][4]

On International Women's Day in 2022, Rana received the Nari Shakti Puraskar,[1] the highest award for women in India,[7] for the year 2020 in recognition of her social entrepreneurship. The ceremony had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "President fetes Kheri tribal woman with Nari Shakti Award". Hindustan Times. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "'Vocal for Local': UPIDR helps local women weavers, artisans gain global exposure". Business Today. 9 January 2022. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "Skilled artisans who don't know where to sell products". Hindustan Times. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Meet Rani Laxmi Bai awardees, the women who won't give up". Hindustan Times. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Women weavers from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve profit from technological interventions for their looms". India Education. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  6. ↑ Singh, Kanwardeep (26 December 2019). "Now, enjoy rich Tharu tradition, food near Dudhwa Tiger Reserve". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 Rumi, Faryal. "Bhojpur Entrepreneur Among 29 Feted". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
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