NEW DELHI: Udhyam Vyapaar announced that its Istri Project has helped ironing vendors across India achieve a cumulative income uplift of ₹100 crore as of September 2025.
The initiative supports street-side ironing vendors in transitioning from coal-based to LPG-powered iron boxes, offered at subsidised rates. According to Udhyam Vyapaar, this shift has allowed vendors to cut fuel costs by nearly half and increase productivity by up to two hours per day, resulting in higher earnings and improved working conditions.
Over the past four years, the Istri Project has expanded from one city to five, enabling more than 8,000 vendors to adopt LPG iron boxes. The switch has also contributed to an estimated annual reduction of 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“At Udhyam, we believe that nano-entrepreneurs are a significant pillar of India’s economic fabric,” said Krishnan Ranganathan, Co-Founder of Udhyam Learning Foundation. “Crossing the ₹100 crore milestone is a proud moment for the ironing vendors who embraced change, demonstrating how localized livelihood solutions can create national-scale impact.”
Cyril Joseph, Program Head of The Istri Project, added, “This milestone belongs to the thousands of ironing vendors who trusted us and made the switch from coal to LPG. What began as a simple idea to save fuel costs has grown into a movement improving livelihoods and the environment.”
Udhyam Vyapaar said it aims to further scale the project nationwide and envisions eliminating the use of coal-based iron boxes in India within the next decade.
