Chetna Gala Sinha

An Indian social entrepreneur who empowers rural women through dairy cooperatives and digital literacy initiatives.

Chetna Gala Sinha is an Indian social entrepreneur and founder of the Milk India initiative, which has empowered over 12,000 rural women in Maharashtra through dairy cooperatives and financial inclusion programs. Her work began in 2001 when she noticed the economic struggles of women in her village after her husband's death. She pioneered the first women-led dairy cooperative in India, allowing women to own cows and access markets previously dominated by men.

By 2014, Sinha's model had expanded into a network of 200+ self-help groups. Her organization provides training in dairy farming, financial management, and digital literacy. The cooperatives now generate annual revenues exceeding ₹100 crore ($13 million USD). A 2016 UN Women case study highlighted her model as a blueprint for gender-inclusive economic development.

In 2017, Sinha launched the 'Digital Dairi' project, introducing mobile banking and e-commerce platforms to connect rural producers with urban markets. This innovation reduced middlemen exploitation and increased farmers' profits by 30%. Her work has been featured in BBC and NPR reports.

Her 2020 TED Talk "How women in India are building their future with milk" has over 500,000 views. Sinha's impact extends beyond economics - she reports a 40% reduction in child marriages in participating villages due to improved family incomes.