Latest news with #SEWA
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
ET MSME Awards 2025: How SEWA is driving India's MSME ecosystem
Live Events Royalty-free image of industrial textile factory with Indian women workers at sewing machines | Photo by EqualStock IN Each week, the ET MSME Awards will feature an industry association that has played a critical role in India's growth story. This week, we celebrate SEWA. Register now to nominate yourself or someone you know for our 'Indian MSME Women Entrepreneur of the Year' Patel still remembers the day she first walked into a SEWA meeting in Ahmedabad, clutching her worn cloth bag and feeling completely out of place. As a vegetable vendor who could barely read, she never imagined she'd one day own a food processing unit employing 12 women from her neighbourhood."I used to think only the rich did business," she laughs, stirring a massive pot of chunda in her spotless facility. "I didn't know selling aachaar (pickle) was also a business."Meera's transformation mirrors that of nearly three million women whose lives have been reshaped by the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA). What began as a small trade union in Gujarat has become one of India's most powerful engines for micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development, proving that the country's economic growth story isn't just about tech startups and corporate Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972, she was tackling a problem that policymakers barely acknowledged: millions of women working in India's informal economy were completely invisible to the formal financial system. These women—caterers, fruitsellers, seamstresses, domestic workers, and construction labourers—formed the backbone of local economies yet had no access to credit, insurance, or business support."We were nobody," recalls Kamalaben, a 58-year-old member who now runs a successful garment cooperative. "Banks wouldn't talk to us. Government schemes weren't for us. We were working and earning, but we didn't exist."Today, SEWA represents nearly two million workers across 12 states, making it one of the world's largest trade unions of informal workers. But its real innovation lies in recognising that these women weren't just workers: they were entrepreneurs waiting for their moment in the traditional microfinance organisations that simply provide loans, SEWA created an entire ecosystem for women's entrepreneurship. The organisation operates through an integrated model combining trade union advocacy, cooperative formation, capacity building, and financial childcare, for instance. SEWA's childcare cooperatives have helped more than 400 women find regular work as care providers. But this isn't just about employment — it's about creating sustainable businesses that address genuine community needs while generating realised early on that women need more than just credit. They need skills, markets, support systems, and most importantly, they need to see themselves as entrepreneurs, not just SEWA Cooperative Federation now empowers 112 women's collectives across diverse sectors, from traditional crafts and food processing to transportation and technology. These aren't charity projects; they're legitimate businesses competing in real Devi's story illustrates this transformation. Once dependent on daily wage labour, she now owns and operates an e-rickshaw service that employs other women. Her transition from employee to employer happened through SEWA's integrated support system that provided training, financing, and ongoing business mentorship."The difference is dignity," Suman says. "When you work for someone else, you're always asking for permission. When you own your business, you make decisions."Perhaps SEWA's most significant achievement has been proving that poor women are excellent credit risks. The Mahila SEWA Urban Cooperative Thrift & Credit Society, established after years of bureaucratic struggles, has maintained repayment rates exceeding 95%.This success challenged fundamental assumptions about informal and micro sector lending. By treating women as stakeholders rather than mere borrowers, SEWA demonstrated that financial inclusion could be both profitable and impact extends far beyond individual entrepreneurs. When women gain economic independence, they invest heavily in their families' health, education, and nutrition. This creates a multiplier effect that strengthens entire data shows that women-owned MSMEs constitute 20% of registered enterprises, though this likely underrepresents true participation since many women entrepreneurs operate informally. SEWA's model offers a pathway to formalisation that doesn't strip away the flexibility that informal sector workers makes SEWA's approach powerful is its recognition that economic empowerment and social change are inseparable. When women organise into cooperatives, they don't just create businesses: they create platforms for challenging traditional gender roles and asserting economic Patel's pickle-making unit exemplifies this broader transformation. Her business provides employment for women who were previously entirely dependent on their husbands' income. But perhaps more importantly, it has shifted power dynamics within families and communities."My husband used to say I was just passing time with SEWA," Meera recalls. "Now he helps me with the accounts!"As India's economy continues evolving, SEWA's model offers crucial insights for policymakers and development practitioners. The organisation's success demonstrates that sustainable MSME development requires not just financial support, but also ecosystem building that addresses social, economic, and political decades after its founding, SEWA continues proving that India's economic transformation isn't just about billion-dollar unicorns. It's about millions of women like Meera, transforming street corners into boardrooms, one small business at a time. In a country where women's economic participation remains constrained by deep-rooted barriers, SEWA's quiet revolution offers hope that inclusive growth isn't just possible — it's ET MSME Awards 2025 , which has IDBI Bank as banking and lending partner, is open for nominations. Put yourself up for consideration before August 31, 2025.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Hisar teenager cremated after Haryana government accepts family's demands, lodges FIR
Eleven days after a Dalit teenager died in Haryana's Hisar, allegedly while trying to evade the police, his family claimed his body on Friday and performed his last rites after the government agreed to five of their demands, including an impartial investigation into his death. Sixteen-year-old Ganesh's family members had been protesting since his death on July 7, alleging he had been killed by the police. 'The family had raised five demands. The government has agreed to accept all five,' Krishan Kumar Bedi, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment, SCs and BCs Welfare and Antyodaya (SEWA), who mediated between Ganesh's family and the state government to resolve the standoff, said. 'The family was demanding that an FIR be registered in Ganesh's death. We have registered the FIR. The family sought that the innocent should not be targeted. We have assured them it will be a fair investigation. The family wanted Ganesh's post-mortem examination to be done by a board of doctors and videographed. It has already been done,' Bedi said, speaking to the media in Hisar. 'The family demanded that one of their kin should be given a job. We have assured them it will be done. We have assured the family that wherever and whichever investigating agency the family wants, we shall get this matter investigated by that agency,' he added. Bedi had arranged a meeting between Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Ganesh's father, Vikram, relatives and other members of the Dalit community from Hisar on Thursday night. He led the government delegation to Hisar on Friday and assured an impartial investigation into Ganesh's death. 'The innocent need not worry, be it police personnel or the youth. No innocent shall be targeted. The guilty, however, will not be spared. From day one, the government has been saying this,' Bedi said. On Thursday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue, saying the incident showed 'the lives of Dalits are of no value' in a BJP government. Former Punjab Congress chief minister and Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi visited Hisar on Thursday to meet Ganesh's family, a day after the visit by another prominent Dalit face of the Congress, Kumari Selja. On the night of July 7, the police arrived at Bhagat Singh locality in Hisar following a complaint that loud music was being played in public long after the 10 pm deadline. According to police, Ganesh and his friends were celebrating a birthday. When the police tried to stop the youths, they were allegedly attacked. The police claim Ganesh and a friend, Akash, rushed to the terrace of a house in a bid to escape and jumped. While Ganesh died, Akash was injured, the police said. Ganesh's family has alleged he was pushed off the terrace by the police.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
UAE: SEWA completes natural gas network in Al Hamriyah
The Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA), has announced the 100 percent completion of the natural gas network in Al Hamriyah City—both East and West—according to the highest technical and engineering standards. The total network length exceeds 89 kilometers, with a total cost of AED14 million. This vital project will benefit 1,655 users, enhancing the region's infrastructure and supporting sustainable development in the emirate. The project was implemented in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, emphasising the need to provide modern and integrated infrastructure for the emirate's residents. Engineer Ibrahim Al Balghouni, Director of the Natural Gas Department at SEWA, stressed that the completion of the network in Al Hamriyah reflects the Authority's dedication to enhancing essential services and addressing the demands of Sharjah's rapid urban development. He characterised the project as a crucial milestone in realising the emirate's vision of providing high-quality services. Al Balghouni added that SEWA continues to expand the natural gas network to cover various regions across Sharjah. The Authority is committed to offering sustainable, environmentally friendly energy solutions by providing clean and economical fuel for residential, commercial, and industrial use.
Gulf Business
11-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Sharjah landlords, tenants alert: New way to attest lease contracts
In a major step toward digital transformation, Sharjah Municipality (SM), in collaboration with the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA), has launched a new service that automatically attests lease contracts—eliminating the need for tenants to visit government offices or pay electricity deposits in advance. Read- The initiative is part of SM's broader digital integration with government entities, aiming to streamline processes and enhance customer experience, Faster processing through unified digital system Abdullah Al Shehhi, Director of the Rental Regulation Department, described the system as a 'significant improvement' that simplifies procedures and reduces the time required to attest residential, commercial, and other types of lease agreements. According to Al Shehhi, lease contracts are now automatically attested based on data already available in the municipality's database. Once the attestation is complete, the contract is sent to SEWA. Tenants then receive a text message with payment details for the electricity deposit, and utility services are activated upon payment. 'This initiative reflects our commitment to providing fast, efficient services in line with Sharjah's digital vision,' Al Shehhi said. 'The unified electronic system linking government departments has led to faster transactions and improved satisfaction among residents.' 'Aqari' platform at the core of real estate services The entire process is available via the 'Aqari' digital platform, which SM has positioned as a model for innovation in real estate services. Al Shehhi credited the achievement to strong cooperation with the Sharjah Digital Office and SEWA, as part of continued efforts to fully digitise municipal services across the emirate. Sharjah's digital initiatives are part of a broader strategy to make government services more accessible and reduce the need for in-person visits, aligning with the UAE's vision for smart governance.
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Sharjah completes natural gas network in Umm Fannain
SHARJAH: The Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) has successfully completed the natural gas network project in the Umm Fannain area, achieving 100% implementation. The network spans a total length of 38 kilometres, serves 603 beneficiaries, and was carried out at a total cost of AED4 million. Engineer Ibrahim Al Balghouni, Director of the Natural Gas Department at SEWA, stated that the establishment of a fully integrated natural gas distribution network across the Emirate of Sharjah constitutes a solid and advanced infrastructure. This network plays a key role in supporting the emirate's continuous growth and development. He highlighted that the project has achieved significant success, and efforts are ongoing to expand the number of beneficiaries who can rely on natural gas as a safer and more sustainable alternative to gas cylinders. Natural gas offers several advantages, including being environmentally friendly, available 24/7, and ensuring a high level of safety.
