Shram Sarathi

What Shram Sarathi does

Shram Sarathi (legally Rajasthan Shram Sarathi Association) is a Section 8 non-profit company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Udaipur, India. It is the first dedicated financial services institution in India focused on seasonal migrant workers and their households, operating within the migration services ecosystem of its incubator, Aajeevika Bureau. The organization delivers its services through a field-based model with four branches in the predominantly tribal districts of South Rajasthan (Udaipur, Rajsamand, Pratapgarh, Dungarpur) and urban destination presence in Gujarat and Maharashtra, serving over 50,000 migrant families.

The product suite is tailored to the migration cycle and includes affordable loans for income diversification, agricultural improvement, food security, and asset creation; term life insurance; contributory old age pensions; micro-investment and the Gullak Bachat savings program; returnable grants for emergencies and enterprise promotion; bank linkages; and the Migrant ID Card. Supporting services include field-based financial and digital literacy clinics in local languages, fraud mediation and intervention, over-indebtedness counseling, and identity document assistance. The underlying technology is a hybrid field-and-banking-agent delivery model rather than a digital platform, with services delivered through community savings groups, banking agents, and physical branches; no public API, app, or AI components are offered.

Revenue is generated primarily through interest on loans extended to migrant workers and fee income from financial services, supplemented by grants and donations. The target customer segments are seasonal migrant workers (avg. monthly income Rs. 9,000), tribal communities (86% of loan disbursements), and women left behind during male migration, all of whom face exclusion from formal credit and predatory lending at 5-10% monthly interest. The organization distributes services exclusively through direct field outreach, with no digital or channel-partner model, and depends on a high-profile board and recognitions (Schwab Foundation, Ashoka, CGAP) to attract funding partners such as Tata Trusts.

Name

Shram Sarathi

Legal name

Rajasthan Shram Sarathi Association

Website

https://shramsarathi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shram Sarathi is a Udaipur-based non-profit founded in 2007 that delivers affordable loans, savings, insurance, and financial literacy services to over 50,000 seasonal migrant worker and tribal households across South Rajasthan and urban destinations in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance and Financial Inclusion

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN)

Keywords

• Migrant worker financial services
• Microfinance for tribal communities
• Rural savings programs
• Financial literacy clinics
• Community-based lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Udaipur

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest on Loans: Interest income from loans extended to migrant workers and their households is the primary source of revenue. Loans are provided for income diversification, cash flow management, agricultural improvement, food security, asset creation, enterprise promotion, and emergency situations.
2. Fee Income: Fee incomes constitute a primary source of revenue, likely from financial service fees, account maintenance, or program-related charges.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shram Sarathi is a Section 8 non-profit financial services institution that delivers affordable credit, savings programmes, term life insurance, contributory old age pensions, returnable grants and financial/digital literacy services to seasonal migrant workers and tribal households across four districts of South Rajasthan and urban destinations in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It operates a field-based dual-presence model at source villages and destination cities, delivering services through rural and semi-urban branches, community savings groups (Gullak Bachat) and a banking agent network.

Product overview

Shram Sarathi is a Section 8 company and financial services institution that offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services specifically designed for vulnerable migrant workers and tribal households in South Rajasthan. The organization operates as a field-based model with rural and semi-urban branches, providing both financial services and migration support services. Core offerings include affordable loans for various purposes (income diversification, agriculture, food security, asset creation), term life insurance, contributory old age pensions, micro-investment/savings programs, and returnable grants for emergencies and enterprise promotion. Supporting services include financial and digital literacy clinics, fraud mediation and intervention, over-indebtedness counseling, the Gullak Bachat group savings program, bank linkages, and migrant identity cards. Interest on loans and fee incomes serve as primary revenue sources. The organization operates within the Aajeevika Bureau ecosystem of migration services including identity, legal aid, and skill training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gullak Bachat: Savings program helping clients set aside money for loan repayments and build emergency funds

Products and services

• Affordable Loans Affordable credit extended to seasonal migrant workers and their households for income diversification, cash flow management, agricultural improvement, food security, asset creation, enterprise promotion, and emergency situations.
• Term Life Insurance Term life insurance coverage providing financial protection for migrant workers and their households.
• Contributory Old Age Pensions Pension scheme enabling retirement savings for unorganised sector migrant labourers and their households.
• Micro-Investment Savings Programme Structured micro-investment programme that promotes savings habits among migrant workers and their families, helping clients set aside money for loan repayments and future financial goals.
• Returnable Grants for Emergency Situations Interest-free returnable grants provided to migrant families during financial emergencies.
• Returnable Grants for Enterprise Promotion Returnable grants aimed at promoting rural entrepreneurship and creating sustainable micro-enterprises among migrant households.
• Financial and Digital Literacy Clinic Field-based clinics providing financial literacy, digital literacy, and informed financial decision-making training in local languages, including passbook reading, fraud identification, and digital transaction skills.
• Financial Fraud Mediation and Intervention Services designed to help vulnerable migrant communities identify, prevent, and respond to financial fraud and phishing schemes.
• Over-Indebtedness Counseling Counseling services to help vulnerable migrant communities escape cycles of debt from predatory moneylenders.
• Gullak Bachat Group Savings Programme Group savings programme where members regularly save small amounts to build financial reserves, support loan repayments, and accumulate emergency funds; members save Rs. 10-100 per cycle.
• Bank Linkages Service facilitating the opening of bank accounts and linkage to formal banking services for unbanked migrant workers, including assistance with identity document corrections such as Aadhar.
• Migrant ID Card Identity card service provided through Aajeevika Bureau partnership to help migrant workers access banking and financial services at destination locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 migrant families reached with financial services across tribal south Rajasthan and urban destinations
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and flagship.

• Angel OneminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Angel One supported digital and financial literacy camps organized by Shram Sarathi, where beneficiaries like Kavari Bai were helped with identity document corrections (Aadhar name correction). The partnership contributes to financial and digital outreach for tribal communities in south Rajasthan.
• Aajeevika BureauflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Shram Sarathi was incubated by Aajeevika Bureau in 2007 as a Section 8 company. It operates within the larger ecosystem of migration services offered by Aajeevika Bureau, which include identity, legal aid, and skill training. Rajiv Khandelwal, who established Aajeevika Bureau in 2004, also established Rajasthan Shram Sarathi Association in 2007. The two organizations jointly implement programmes including COVID-19 relief (संबल initiative supporting over 6,600 families). This is a foundational, strategic relationship central to Shram Sarathi's operating model.
• Various Partners and Lenders (logos displayed)minorOthersThe Partners and Lenders page displays logos of multiple partner organizations and lenders (images not text-extractable), which may include banks, financial institutions, and development sector organizations that provide funding or operational support. Without specific names from the source material, these cannot be individually identified.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank: Small finance bank serving underserved and unbanked segments with microfinance, savings, and MSME loans. Comparable target customer and small-ticket loan orientation but at full bank scale.
• Bandhan Bank: Large Indian commercial bank that originated as a microfinance institution and continues to serve low-income and rural borrowers. Comparable end-customer segment but with a vastly broader banking and deposit franchise.
• NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development): India's apex development bank for agriculture and rural finance, supporting MFIs, SHGs, and rural financial inclusion programs. Operates at vastly larger scale as a regulator and financier of the ecosystem Shram Sarathi serves.

Direct peers

• BASIX (Bharat Financial Inclusion): Indian livelihood promotion and financial inclusion organization providing microfinance, agricultural, and enterprise development services to rural poor households. Highly comparable in mission and integrated services model.
• Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank: Mahila Sahakari Bank and foundation providing financial services, microenterprise loans, and financial literacy to rural women in Maharashtra. Comparable in rural women-focused financial inclusion model and field-based delivery.
• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): Pioneer in financial inclusion and social security for informal women workers in India, including SEWA Bank. Closely comparable in mission, target population (low-income women), and integrated service model.
• Aajeevika Bureau: Parent and incubation partner of Shram Sarathi; provides migration services including identity, legal aid, and skill training. Operates the integrated migration-finance ecosystem that Shram Sarathi is part of.

Emerging players

• Spandana Sphoorty Financial: Indian microfinance institution serving low-income women and informal-sector borrowers with group lending. Comparable in serving excluded populations but operates at much larger commercial scale as an NBFC-MFI.
• Fusion Microfinance: Indian MFI providing micro-credit to underserved women in rural and semi-urban areas. Overlaps with Shram Sarathi's microfinance mission but operates as a commercial NBFC-MFI at national scale.
• Cashpor Micro Credit: NBFC-MFI serving rural poor borrowers, particularly women, with group-based microcredit in eastern and central India. Comparable end-customer and microcredit orientation, though operating as a commercial MFI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Shram_Sarathi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rajasthanshramsarathi/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shramsarathi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Shram Sarathi