Financial Literacy

My name is Airial Kharjanaj (55 years old widow) and I am from Madan Bynther village, Eastern West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. To increase my income, I decided to cultivate squash. To support this, I took a KCC loan of ₹50,000 from Meghalaya Rural Bank to invest in my farming. I also have a basic savings account in the bank.
I had little knowledge about financial planning, cash flow, and budgeting before attending the three days financial literacy training. However, under the Financial Literacy & Women Empowerment Program, I attended a three-day classroom training conducted by Utkarsh Welfare Foundation in association with HDFC Life CSR. I listened attentively to all the sessions on financial planning, budgeting, savings, debt management, investments, insurance, banking, and social protection schemes.
Through this training, I learned how to create a detailed monthly budget to track my income and expenses, allocate funds for emergency savings, build a cash reserve for low-income periods, and cut down on unnecessary expenses. I also opened a recurring deposit account at the post office to secure my future. This training has been incredibly beneficial, and I am grateful for the financial knowledge and empowerment it has provided me.”