Entrepreneurship for Slum Dwellers

Over the past several years, ICECD has helped set up more than 75,000 micro businesses in slums. Among these are readymade garments, old wood craft, pan parlour, tailoring, beauty parlour, footwear, jewellery and tiffin service.

These groups of women and men are either less educated or uneducated and hail from economically backward communities.

Among them is, Ashwin Pujjara, who runs an electric motor rewinding shop in Ahmedabad earns Rs. 25,000/- every month.

Life was not so kind to Pujjara, who comes from a slum in the city, till he was armed with the technology thread.

The population of tribal and rural areas and urban slums of India is a symbol of energy, vigour, enthusiasm, hope – and an invaluable human resource on whom depends the future and stability of the country. It is a sad situation indeed that the current picture is not so positive. The employment opportunities have not been able to keep up with the growth in population leading to rising unemployment figures on one hand and demotivated individuals engaged in unproductive activities on the other.