UP

Across India, women like Bandana, Kalpana, and Nirmala are solving some of the most pressing and overlooked issues in their communities. But who is taking care of them?

"We are not only aiding waste management, we are creating a great alternative for wood."

“I am the first entrepreneur in the family, and it’s only natural that people were unsure about me taking up this work. But what is life without a bit of risk? So instead, I convinced my father and got started.” #WomanEntrepreneur

“The Internet network here is mostly patchy, so I had to look for a solution. Under no circumstances do I want my students inconvenienced.”

"I spent over a month frantically searching for my son. And finally, one day I found his dead body in a sack, devoured by stray animals. I decided never to let another soul go through that torment," says the cycle mechanic, who was recently awarded the Padma Shri.

With 5 more states implementing the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme, the count is now at 17 states in all.

The couple had already been planning to buy a plot of land near Nanital, and saw this method of reusing plastic waste as a means to make a real difference.

“The issues we raise affect not just women, but men as well. And, that is why our band has so many male supporters. At the end of the day, gender equality is not shifting oppression from one to the other. It is about eliminating it altogether.”

A whiteboard, markers, and a duster for the teachers and a carpet laid on the ground for them to sit on, 15 such study centres across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and recently, Rajasthan, are providing free-of-cost education for slum and street kids since 2013.

While others around him complained about the foul stench from the sewer, scrunching their noses up in disgust when passing by, Abhishek thought of it as an opportunity for innovation.