BPCL Women Empowerment: Making rural women self-reliant and providing them with new employment opportunities is crucial. With this vision, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) ‘Urja Devi’ initiative plays a vital role in empowering women. Its primary objective is to enable women to progress through energy-related activities, skills training, and awareness programmes.
Bharat Petroleum LPG shared on the social media platform ‘X’ that the spirit of ‘Urja Devi’ is to provide rural women with opportunities that empower them to earn a livelihood, recognise their potential, and bring about sustainable change in their communities—because progress happens when women move forward. Let us explore this initiative in greater detail.

“>October 12, 2026

New Employment Opportunities for Rural Women
To make rural women self-reliant, the most important step is to provide them with avenues for earning an income. To this end, women and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) can be offered opportunities related to LPG distribution. For instance, women can participate in tasks such as booking gas cylinders, providing information to customers, and handling local distribution.

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This allows them to secure employment within their villages or nearby areas. Additionally, women can receive training in solar energy and other green energy technologies; post-training, they can boost their income by undertaking tasks like maintenance, servicing, and repairs.

Women to Become ‘Urja Sakhis’
It is also vital to educate women living in villages about the safe use of cooking gas. Trained women can raise awareness among other women in their villages regarding the correct use of LPG, prevention of gas leaks, and safety protocols. In this capacity, they can assist the community as ‘Urja Sakhis’ (Energy Companions).

Furthermore, providing women with digital and financial literacy is also essential. Furthermore, by learning to use online gas booking, digital payments, banking, and government digital services, they can handle essential tasks independently. This will boost their self-confidence and empower them to make financial decisions more effectively.

Time Saved Can Lead to Increased Income for Women
If rural women gain access to training and opportunities to connect with markets, they can start various small-scale businesses. For instance, they could engage in activities such as tailoring and embroidery, organic farming, food product manufacturing, or other home-based industries. With access to these facilities, women can gradually become financially empowered.