Madhulika Ramteke

Ramteke became an Indian social entrepreneur when she set up a self-help group for women in her village, which founded the Maa Bamleshwari Bank in 2001, in order to support local projects through microfinance.

[3] Ramteke works with female survivors of domestic abuse and teaches villagers skills such as how to grow yam and how to manage vermicompost.

[4] She believes that use of chemical fertilisers can lead to bad health and that compost created naturally by worms produces better tasting food.

[4] Ramteke's self-help group set up three societies in 2016: one began to farm cow milk for sale, a second grew Hara Bahera (an ayurvedic herb) and the third cultivated Sitafal (sugar-apple) in order to produce ice cream.

[1] In recognition of her achievements, Ramteke was awarded the 2021 Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath Kovind on International Women's Day 2022.