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Ahmedabadformer ragpicker earns 1 crorein-lifestyle

This Former Ragpicker Now Heads A Company With A TurnOver Of Rs 1 Crore

This Former Ragpicker Now Heads A Company With A TurnOver Of Rs 1 Crore
NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 18: Indian workers called Rag Pickers, sort through garbage and pick out recyclable materials to sell from the 70 acre Ghazipur Landfill Site on February 18, 2010 in east Delhi, India. Recycling and rag-picking of municipal solid waste is widely prevalent in Delhi through the involvement of an extensive network of informal (rag-pickers and scrap-dealers) and formal (recycling facilities) stakeholders. A wide range of materials and items are involved, such as, paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, glass, rubber, leather, textiles and clothing etc. The estimated number of rag-pickers in Delhi is believed to be the range of 80,000 to 100,000. Approximately 1200-1500 Tonnes per day are removed from the municipal collection and disposal chain by these activities. However, these activities, carried out in un- hygienic and unscientific manner, have unfavourable environmental, occupational health and community health implications. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
Daniel Berehulak via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 18: Indian workers called Rag Pickers, sort through garbage and pick out recyclable materials to sell from the 70 acre Ghazipur Landfill Site on February 18, 2010 in east Delhi, India. Recycling and rag-picking of municipal solid waste is widely prevalent in Delhi through the involvement of an extensive network of informal (rag-pickers and scrap-dealers) and formal (recycling facilities) stakeholders. A wide range of materials and items are involved, such as, paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, glass, rubber, leather, textiles and clothing etc. The estimated number of rag-pickers in Delhi is believed to be the range of 80,000 to 100,000. Approximately 1200-1500 Tonnes per day are removed from the municipal collection and disposal chain by these activities. However, these activities, carried out in un- hygienic and unscientific manner, have unfavourable environmental, occupational health and community health implications. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Manjula Vaghela, 60, has come a long way from her days of sorting trash on the streets of Ahmedabad for Rs 5 per day. She now heads a cleaner’s cooperative with a turnover of Rs 1 crore per annum, according to a report.

The company, Sri Saundarya Safai Utkarsh Mahila Sewa Sahkari Mandali Ltd, currently supplies cleaning and housekeeping services to 45 institutions and societies in Ahmedabad. Their first client was with the National Institute Of Design as their first official client, reported the Times of India.

“Next Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) hired 15 of our women,” said Vaghela in the interview. The company at that time had 40 women working for it. Today, it has 400 members, of which the majority of cleaning women are former ragpickers like Vaghela. These women are supplied with quality cleaning equipment such as road cleaners, vacuum cleaners, high-jet pressure, micro-fibre mops, floor cleaners, carpet shampooing machines, scrubbers and extractors.

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Saundarya Mandali was born after these (40) women came into contact with Elaben Bhatt-founded Self-Employed Women’s Association (Sewa). “It took five years to convince authorities to register the cooperative as we were selling a service, not a product,” said Vaghela who was at that time the chief supervisor.

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Even as they hit that incredible one-crore mark, Saundarya Mandali still has some obstacles to overcome, particularly digital. Hemabhen Parmar, another associate with the cooperative (her mother was also a member, and her daughter works with Sewa), revealed that e-tenders issued by companies for contracts pose a technological challenge, but she was confident that eventually they would cross this barrier as well.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.