New Delhi, October 07, 2025: Udhyam Vyapaar has announced that its flagship livelihood initiative, The Istri Project, has helped ironing vendors across India achieve a cumulative income uplift of ₹100 crore as of September 2025.
The Istri Project aims to transform the traditional ironing sector by helping street-side ironing vendors shift from coal-based to LPG-based iron boxes at subsidised rates. The adoption of LPG irons has reduced fuel costs by nearly half, increased daily productivity by up to two hours, and improved vendors’ income levels by an average of 25%. The transition has also contributed to better health outcomes and reduced carbon emissions, eliminating over 6,000 tons of CO₂ annually.
Over the past four years, Udhyam Vyapaar has scaled the project from one city to five, enabling more than 8,000 ironing vendors to switch to cleaner and more efficient LPG-based iron boxes.
Krishnan Ranganathan, Co-Founder, Udhyam Learning Foundation, said, “At Udhyam, we believe that nano-entrepreneurs are a significant pillar of India’s economic fabric, who can improve the lives of a large part of the population, when provided with the right support. Crossing the ₹100 crore milestone with The Istri Project is a proud moment not just for us, but for the thousands of ironing vendors who chose to embrace change. It also demonstrates how localized livelihood solutions can create national-scale impact, improving incomes, health, and environmental outcomes at the same time.”
Cyril Joseph, Program Head, The Istri Project, Udhyam Vyapaar, added, “This milestone belongs to the thousands of ironing vendors who trusted us, made the switch from coal to LPG, and reimagined what their businesses could achieve. The Istri Project started with a simple idea, to help vendors save fuel costs and improve their productivity. Now it has grown into a movement with measurable impact on their livelihoods and the environment.”
With this milestone, Udhyam Vyapaar plans to further scale the initiative nationwide and aims to make India “coal iron box-free” within the next decade. The organisation has also called for support from philanthropic institutions, CSR partners, and government agencies to help realise this vision.
