Stressing the importance of SEWA Co-operative Federation, an arm of the Self-Employed Womens’ Association (SEWA), its founder and social activist Ela Bhatt said the organisation came into existence as a result of “joint action of a cooperative and a union”. The federation helped women who were part of the workforce and contributed to the national income to get recognition and acknowledgement, Bhatt said at an event marking 30 years since the federation came into existence.
Earlier, with the opening of the SEWA bank and later the union, the women who worked in the informal sector became the stakeholders and social security was also provided. “With the coming up of banks, employment also came up. I knew only how to organise the trade unions as I have worked with them even before independence. The banking system was all new to me, but with the help of our sisters it was made possible,” she added.
There are 110 women’s collective enterprises in Gujarat, of which 65 continue to be active—more than six times the success rate of regular start-ups in India that have a 10 per cent success rate, an official release from the federation claimed.
