“We belong to Lotus AmritaSREE SHG, comprised of 10 members. We live in the seaside village of Nirkunnam and are part of the Nirkunnam cluster.

With help from the cluster, we took a loan of five lakhs and started a shrimp-peeling shed, for shrimp was available locally. The major purchasers come to us with the shrimp and collect it back after peeling.

We charge by the kilo and make a reasonable profit. We have been successfully peeling shrimp and providing it to our customers for the past two years. The amount is sufficient to take care of household needs, repay the loan, and pay for our children’s education.”

— Lisa and Jayanthy.