India, 05 December: Udhyam Vyapaar has announced a major milestone for its flagship intervention, The Istri Project, which has enabled ironing vendors across India to collectively achieve an income uplift of ₹100 crore as of September 2025.
The Istri Project modernises India’s traditional ironing sector by helping roadside ironing vendors transition from coal-based iron boxes to LPG-powered irons at subsidised rates. This shift allows vendors to cut fuel expenses by almost half and save up to 2 extra working hours per day, increasing both productivity and earnings. Beyond income gains, the move from coal to LPG also improves health outcomes and reduces environmental impact by replacing a polluting fuel with a cleaner alternative.
Over the past four years, Udhyam Vyapaar has expanded the initiative from 1 city to 5 cities, enabling more than 8,000 ironing vendors to adopt LPG iron boxes. Supported vendors have reported an average 25% increase in income, while the initiative has helped eliminate over 6,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
Krishnan Ranganathan, Co-Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation, said,
“At Udhyam, we believe nano-entrepreneurs are vital to India’s economic fabric. Achieving the ₹100 crore milestone is a proud moment not just for us, but for the thousands of ironing vendors who embraced this change. This milestone proves how localized livelihood solutions can scale nationally, driving improvements in income, health, and environmental sustainability.”
Cyril Joseph, Program Head, The Istri Project, Udhyam Vyapaar, added,
“This milestone belongs to the thousands of ironing vendors who trusted the initiative and transitioned from coal to LPG. What began as a simple idea to reduce fuel costs and boost productivity has now become a powerful movement with measurable impact on livelihoods and the environment.”
With this milestone achieved, Udhyam Vyapaar is committed to scaling the initiative further and empowering ironing vendors across the country. The organization aims to make India coal-iron-box-free within the next decade, and invites collaboration from CSR partners, philanthropies, government bodies, and social impact organisations to help realise this vision.
