The Asian Age 26 January 2016: Raaginii Jaain has been campaigning for cleanliness drive from long
before the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched. Ms Jaain had started
plastic waste collection, segregation and recycling in the plush area of
Juhu Vile-Parle Development (JVPD) in 2003. It’s the first
Private-Public Partnership model in India in waste management supported
by K-West Ward of MCGM. Working on no profit-no loss, Ms Jaain’s
Geetanjali Envirotech has given employment to more than 150 to 200
former beggars who are earning at least Rs 15,000 per month.
Originally from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Ms Jaain (57) later
shifted to Bengaluru and then Mumbai during the course of her career.
According to Ms Jaain, after moving to Mumbai in 2003, she saw solid
waste and nullah full of plastic waste in plush area of JVPD, and
approached ‘K’ ward officer of BMC in 2003 and asked for permission to
collect waste.
“Initially, nobody was ready to allow me as collecting waste and dump
it at specific allotted area is the work allotted to some contractors
and the contractors was not ready to allow me to interfere in their
‘business’” said...read on.
