LTM fosters self-reliance in India’s villages
By partnering with grassroots organisations and drawing on years of rural engagement, LTM’s Integrated Village Development Programme has been strengthening livelihoods, protecting natural resources and building lasting economic resilience across three states, as these examples show.
In Balisankara Block, Odisha, 60 women from Self-Help Groups took part in a structured livelihood enhancement and income-generation programme designed to reinforce their entrepreneurial capabilities and financial independence.
The sessions covered enterprise management and day-to-day business skills; financial literacy to help them plan, save and invest; value addition to raise the earnings from produce and livelihood diversification to reduce dependence on a single income source.
The training also exposed participants to proven practices in micro-enterprise development. Equipped with practical skills and business knowledge, the women began exploring new income streams, strengthening household earnings, and playing a more visible role in their local economy.
In the Buxwaha Aspirational Block of Chhatarpur district, rising fuel costs were stretching household budgets thin. In partnership with Haritika, LTM helped install a bio-gas plant for a small farmer and cattle-owner.
The plant converted agricultural residue and cattle waste into clean cooking fuel, reducing the family’s reliance on commercial LPG cylinders. As fuel prices climbed, the bio-gas system offered a steady, affordable alternative, while also encouraging cleaner cooking practices and better use of farm waste. This set an example for others to emulate.
In Subir, in Gujarat’s Dang district, the priority was water. Working with Larsen & Toubro Public Charitable Trust (LTPCT), the programme desilted a community check dam in Zaran village, restoring its storage capacity ahead of the summer season.
6,250 cubic metres of nutrient-rich silt were recovered and used by farmers to enrich their soil and develop their land. The check dam’s water-holding capacity rose to 2.85 crore litres, including 62.5 lakh litres of storage. This enabled the farmers to grow a second crop. Significantly, the benefits extended to the neighbouring villages.
LTM continues to back locally relevant solutions that improve livelihoods, strengthen resilience and move rural India closer to long-term, sustainable development.
