This 17-year-old Noida student turns textile waste into jobs for 250+ village women

At 17, Noida student Rahini Bansal is helping women turn discarded fabric into an income source. Her initiative Sutradhar trains women in sewing, embroidery and knitting, supplies them with textile scraps and gives them work they can do from home, with monthly earnings ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 25,000.At 17, Noida student Rahini Bansal is helping women turn discarded fabric into an income source. At an age when most Class 12 students are focused on board exams and college plans, 17-year-old Rahini Bansal is running an initiative that has brought more than 250 women into a community of work and skill-building.A Noida resident, Rahini decided to work towards making women self-reliant when she was in Class 10. In 2024, she launched Sutradhar, starting with just six women.The idea was simple: teach women skills they could use from home and connect those skills with paid work.FROM FABRIC SCRAPS TO PAYCHEQUESRahini trains women and girls, particularly from villages, in sewing, embroidery and knitting. Fabric scraps sourced from the textile industry are then given to them to turn into shirts and other useful products. The model tackles two problems at once: finding work for women and putting discarded textile material to use.A major part of Sutradhar's approach is that women do not have to travel to a factory. They can work from home for a few hours according to their convenience. Their reported monthly earnings range from Rs 4,000 to Rs 25,000.For some women, that income has become the first step towards financial independence.ONE INCOME, AN ENTIRE FAMILY CHANGESFor 45-year-old Shobha, who did not previously have an income, the work has helped her contribute towards her children's education.Chanda is also using her earnings to give her children access to better schooling.For Prachi, the income is helping fund her own BA studies. She hopes to become a fashion designer.Monica is using what she earns to pay for her brother's computer training.There are also women associated with Sutradhar who have faced difficult domestic circumstances. For one survivor of domestic violence, earning an income provided financial independence and the confidence to rebuild her life.WHY SUTRADHAR IS MORE THAN A JOBThe initiative is also built around textile waste. Instead of allowing fabric scraps to be discarded, Sutradhar puts them into the hands of women who can turn them into usable products.What began with six women has grown into a community of more than 250.For Rahini, the idea brings together three things: skills, income and waste reduction.At 17, she is still a Class 12 student herself. But through Sutradhar, the fabric scraps she collects are doing more than becoming new products. They are becoming a source of income and, for many women, a little more control over their futures.- EndsPublished On: Aug 26, 2026 18:27 IST