The app hopes to make them financially literate; teach them how to apply for loan
Sanjana Runwal has written three research papers that were acknowledged by Maharashtra Governor and the state Housing Ministry. Last week, Suresh Kakani, BMC additional commissioner, formally launched the Apna Ghar App. Pic/Shadab Khan
There is never a right age to start thinking about society and how one can better it. Sanjana Runwal, who is a 17-year-old student at Dhirubhai Ambani International School, is doing the same by launching an app, which will help sanitation workers, and garbage and ragpickers understand the process of applying for a home loan in four easy steps.
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Runwal is also the co-founder of the Clean-Up Foundation with her brother Sidharth. The brother-sister duo started this NGO in 2016 when they noticed garbage workers in Bandra during their evening walks. “We saw them picking up garbage without any safety equipment,” recalls Runwal, who was directed to the Bandra ward office by their father. Chandrakant Tambe, the ward officer at the time, admitted that there weren’t any stringent safety provisions in place for the workers. “Nobody really notices them,” says Runwal. “And that was a trigger for both of us.”
Last week, Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC, formally launched her app—Apna Ghar. The Runwals conducted a survey that helped them understand that most of these workers had little to no financial knowledge and thus, no savings. “We found out that they had a decent income of around '40,000, but due to financial illiteracy, they were left with zero savings and sometimes ended up borrowing from money-lenders, who charge an exorbitant rate of interest.” The app aims to bridge this gap. It will assist them in calculating their loan eligibility and EMIs at authorised and fair interest rates. It will connect them to banks, which the pair hopes can offer loans to suit the applicant’s needs. The ragpickers can choose what works best for them after consultation with experts and bank officials, through the app.
Right now, the app is functional on their Clean-Up Foundation website, but they hope to put it out as a mobile application by the end of November. Once the app is out, Runwal wants to conduct a workshop, “where I can walk them [the garbage pickers] through the app, and also explain how they can add their Aadhar/PAN card number, which could be tricky for them.”
Through the Clean-Up Foundation, the duo has installed 100 water purifiers in BMC wards, provided safety rain gear like gumboots to garbage pickers, ensured ragpickers get nutritious cooked meals, and installed sanitary napkin vending machines for them. During the pandemic, a vaccination drive was conducted especially for them.
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