top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Textile recycling drive uplifts Navi Mumbai women

AI generated image Mumbai :  A quiet revolution is unfolding in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur – one that converts old clothes into new livelihoods - and transforms the lives of over 150 women participating in it.   The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), has set up India’s first municipal Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0” – empowering many humble home-makers and other women to rewrite their futures.   Working in the TRF...

Textile recycling drive uplifts Navi Mumbai women

AI generated image Mumbai :  A quiet revolution is unfolding in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur – one that converts old clothes into new livelihoods - and transforms the lives of over 150 women participating in it.   The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), has set up India’s first municipal Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0” – empowering many humble home-makers and other women to rewrite their futures.   Working in the TRF initiatives linked to textile recovery and upcycling, now the women earn between Rs 9,000-Rs 15,000 – catapulting them from the socio-economic margins into a growing ‘green economy’- gaining skills, confidence and financial independence.   The TRF’s pilot project has so far reached more than 1.15 lakh families and connected with over 350 housing societies through awareness drives and workshops. At the heart of this are Self Help Groups (SHGs), where women are trained, supported and encouraged to build their own micro-enterprises, said a NMMC official, preferring anonymity.   “At least 300 women of different age groups, mostly semi-literate and from lower-middle-class strata of society, have completed intensive training modules. They are now experts at identifying different fabrics, repairing them creatively, and selling their beautifully recycled products through different platforms,” the official told  The Perfect Voice .   The Belapur TRF is a sight to behold – there are piles of dirty, old, worn and torn saris, uniforms, sheets, denims and other fabrics. The teams of women carefully sort, assess, clean, and repurpose each clothing into something new, using a mix of hands-on expertise and technology. They decide what can be reused, recycled, or upcycled into a new product adding value to it, the official said.   The results are both practical and stunning – there are stacks of new bags, mats, pouches, garments, home décor, paper and other useful items born from their skilled hands – adding to a range of more than 400 such products.   There is no shortage of raw material as the three-month-old initiative has collected 30 tonnes textile waste, scientifically sorted over 25 tonnes, processed more than 41,000 items or 500 daily – diverting a significant volume away from landfills and ultimate waterbodies.   The waste collection is decentralized – 140 branded textile bins are placed in housing societies in eight NMMC Wards, with a target of 250 bins in the next few weeks – ensuring quick access and citizen involvement, thereby indirectly contributing to improving the lives of the women and SHGs silently ushering in the eco-friendly revolution. To promote awareness and exploit the markets, the TRF has participated in 30-plus exhibitions, and multiple public awareness events on the benefits of repurposing textile wastes using hand-held scanners, digital tracking and other resources – while pushing forward the PM’s dreams of Smart Cities Mission and Sustainable Development Goals.   Another TRF in Koparkhairane Buoyed by the success of the Belapur pilot, the NMMC plans to open a permanent, higher capacity TRF in Koparkhairane soon.   Since India generates an estimated 7.8 million tonnes of textile wastes each year, experts feel this could be trendsetter both in terms of environmental impact and generating dignified employment for the marginalized sections of society.   There were many early cynics, critics and challenges, but through a steady outreach, consistent engagement, deploying fibre-scanning technology and sheer dedication of the women helped iron out the teething problems to help materialise the dreams in NMMC.

Pankaja settles score with Dhananjay

Updated: Jan 10, 2025

Pankaja

Mumbai: Almost nine years ago, when Pankaja Munde was facing a challenge to come clean in the allegations of irregularities her cousin brother Dhananjay Munde was enjoying her struggle. Pankaja was minister for women and child welfare whereas Dhananjay was leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council. They were not on talking terms at that time. Dhananjay added fire to the fuel by raising the issue in the House creating more trouble for his sister.


The table is turned now. Dhananjay is facing the biggest political crisis as the Opposition has mounted pressure for his resignation in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case. He has established cordial relations with Pankaja after a gap of several years. However, the scars of his political attack on her remained, it seems. Pankaja, his colleague in the cabinet, did not back him in the controversy. On the contrary, she has insisted that Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay’s boss in the NCP, should clean the political environment in Beed, the Mundes’ native district.


Pankaja, the daughter of late Gopinath Munde, has succeeded in creating an impression that she has distanced herself from Dhananjay over the ongoing controversy. While interacting with the reporters on Tuesday she did not say anything against Dhananjay. However, she insisted that it was she who first demanded a SIT probe in the case and kept repeating CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ assurance that all the guilty shall be brought to book and no one shall be spared in the case. This is being interpreted as her distancing away from Dhananjay.


Dhananjay has had a hot-and-cold relationship with his younger cousin. He had defeated her in the 2019 Assembly election from Parli, Beed. The cousins had come together last year for Rakshabandhan after almost 12 years of estrangement.


Dhananjay (49) was initially groomed by his uncle. However, after Dhananjay raked up controversies over his high-handedness in Beed, the patriarch of the family started grooming his daughter Pankaja as his heir apparent. Irked Dhananjay started looking for options beyond his uncle and was encouraged by certain party leaders to stand up to his uncle.


In 2023, when Ajit managed to split the NCP, Dhananjay played a key role and became agriculture minister in the Mahayuti government where he drew flak for forcing the transfer of agriculture secretary who refused certain plans of his department, citing a loss for the exchequer.


Pankaja apparently struck a truce with Dhananjay last year and the cousin duo was seen together again.

Comments

bottom of page