In 2010, AN Roy set up the Vandana Foundation to provide interest-free loans to the poor.
Whether it is helping farmer widows in Wardha and Yavatmal districts or reaching out to the poor in Mumbai's slums, the resolution of 65-year-old, retired police commissioner AN Roy, is absolute.
"I was very sure even when I was in service that after retirement I am not going to look for another job - whether in the government or in the private sector," Mr Roy tells NDTV.
Undeterred by temptations of a lucrative post-retirement job after stepping down, the former IPS officer set up the Vandana Foundation in 2010 - an NGO that provides interest-free loans to farmer widows in Vidarbha and helps those living in Mumbai's slums become financially independent.
One such beneficiary is Premila Balbudhe who lost her husband seven years ago. Her husband was 45 when he committed suicide after heavy rains and hailstorm washed away their cotton and soybean crop.
"Today I earn about Rs 6,000 a month from my jewellery and stationery business and more from the sewing work that I do. I don't borrow money anymore. In fact I lend money to people if they need it for medicines. My business is doing very well and it is all thanks to Vandana Foundation," said Premila.
Mr Roy and his daughter camp in the suicide-prone districts of Maharashtra for four days every month and help widows set up micro businesses. They also offer loans at a nominal interest to those living in Mumbai's slums.
"We have people who are rag-pickers, who do small home-based businesses like making rotis, tiffins and clothes. We've had street vendors - so just to scale up their businesses, we give them a loan with a nominal service charge," his daughter and Foundation co-co-founder Saumya Roy said.
Till date, the efforts have changed the lives of nearly 1,000 women in Vidarbha and 6,000 people in Mumbai's slums for the better.