It was a ride in a cycle rickshaw that moved Dr Pradip Kumar Sarmah and got him into setting up the ‘Rickshaw Bank’. He explained that majority of the rickshaw pullers drive rented rickshaws as they have no access to banks and end up paying the cost of the rickshaw many times over. He started working with the rickshaw pullers themselves to understand their needs, and reinvented the way the rickshaws work, making them stronger, safer, and capable of carrying advertising that would allow the pullers to own their own rickshaws.
Pradip has allowed thousands of drivers to participate in the rickshaw bank, and he is now spreading his methods across India. The Rickshaw Bank provides other services to the rickshaw pullers as well, such as, health checkup and educational programme for the children of the rickshaw pullers.
20Feb
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