Madhulika Ramteke

Madhulika Ramteke
Born	Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, India
Occupation	Social entrepreneur
Years active	2001–present
Known for	Establishing a women-led microfinance institution; assistance to domestic violence survivors; promoting organic farming and sanitation projects

Madhulika Ramteke is a social entrepreneur from Chhattisgarh, India. She established a women-led microfinance institution and provides assistance to those affected by domestic violence. Her contributions earned her the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar.

Career

Originating from Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, Ramteke grew up in a family without formal education and later taught her parents literacy skills after completing her own schooling. In 2001, she initiated a women's self-help collective that created Maa Bamleshwari Bank, aimed at financing community initiatives through microfinance. By combining their savings, the women began offering loans for medical needs and essential items such as bicycles. The institution grew to include land leasing services and by 2012 operated 5,372 branches managed entirely by women, engaging around 80,000 participants.

In addition to financial services, Ramteke supports women who have survived domestic abuse and imparts agricultural techniques like yam farming and vermicomposting to villagers. She promotes the use of organic compost instead of chemical fertilizers, emphasizing the advantages for health and food quality. In 2018, she spearheaded sanitation enhancement projects spanning 64 villages.

Her organization launched three cooperative societies in 2016: one dedicated to dairy production from cows, another cultivating the ayurvedic plant Hara Bahera, and a third focused on growing Sitafal (sugar-apple) utilized in ice cream manufacturing. On International Women's Day 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Ramteke with the 2021 Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her efforts.

See also

• Smita Tandi – Recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar from Chhattisgarh