Udhyam Vyapaar’s flagship initiative, The Istri Project, has achieved a landmark milestone, enabling street ironing vendors across India to collectively increase their income by ₹100 crore as of September 2025. The project helps vendors transition from traditional coal-based iron boxes to LPG-powered ones at subsidised rates, reducing fuel costs by nearly 50% and boosting productivity by up to two hours daily.
Since its inception, the project has scaled from one city to five, empowering over 8,000 ironing vendors to adopt cleaner, more efficient technology. Participants have seen an average income uplift of 25%, while the program has cut over 6,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually. “This milestone is a proud moment for Udhyam and the thousands of nano-entrepreneurs who embraced change. It highlights how localized livelihood solutions can create national-scale economic and environmental impact,” said Krishnan Ranganathan, Co-Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation.
In Agartala, the initiative has strengthened the local ironing vendor ecosystem, with vendors reporting faster service, higher customer volumes, and improved earnings. The adoption of LPG irons has also enhanced working conditions, making street-side ironing safer and more sustainable in the city’s busy markets. Cyril Joseph, Program Head, said the success belongs to the vendors who reimagined their businesses. Udhyam Vyapaar now aims to make India coal-iron-free within a decade, calling for support from government, CSR, and social impact partners.
