Defying stereotypes, Telangana woman becomes earthmover operator

A 33-year-old woman from Yerragollapahad village in Jangaon district has challenged long-held gender stereotypes by taking up the job of an earthmover operator, a profession traditionally seen as a male preserve, thanks to the support from her local Self-Help Group (SHG) under the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP).

Palamakula Aruna faced several hardships early in life, losing her father while she was studying in Class 10. She got married in 2012 but received little support from her own family and in-laws. The young couple’s early years were marked by debt and instability. While her husband Palamakula Nagaraju worked as an earthmover operator, Aruna supplemented the family income by working as an agricultural labourer and taking up tailoring work.

But instead of breaking under pressure, she chose to rise — a rise that would eventually place her behind the wheel of a heavy machine no one ever expected her to operate.

In 2013, Aruna joined a Self-Help Group (SHG), a decision she now calls the turning point of her life. A year later, she accessed a loan of ₹1 lakh through her SHG, which helped her clear old debts.

With her husband’s encouragement, she learned earthmover operation after rigorous training and finally mastered driving it in 2024. The family now earns between ₹4,000-5,000 a day from earthmover work.

Palamakula Aruna operating an earthmover.
| Photo Credit:
By Arrangement

Through the SHG, Aruna’s family has accessed a total of ₹22.10 lakh in loans, enabling them to build multiple sources of income, including a bag manufacturing unit.

Praising Aruna for her exceptional success, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya, better known as Seethakka, said, “I recently met Aruna at a SERP programme. Her determination to become an earthmover operator is inspiring to every woman.”

Thanking SERP, Aruna said, “My childhood dream of becoming an Anganwadi teacher has finally been fulfilled, not through a classroom but through leadership, empowerment and public service. Without support from SERP, I would have remained a labourer.”