Startups to Root for the Spirit of Labour Day; Shopo Leads the Way

Labour Day has a long history and has been observed ever since the 1880’s to protect the right of the workers. And as a tribute to this, many employers and providers across the globe take steps for the betterment of the workers and perhaps more so for the greater good. And this time around, startups are also carrying the baton.

Shopo.in, which describes itself as a “Marketplace for everything Indian” hosts many stores which are fueled by NGOs and Shopo has announced that “For all sales that happen at these stores, we will be giving them 10% extra from their actual taking prices.” Krithika Nelson, CEO at Shopo.in says, “This is just our way of celebrating people who do the most difficult and the best work of all - Bringing light to other people's lives!”

Shopo has some of the largest NGOs affiliated with it and these NGOs help in keeping many dying art forms alive. India has a very rich heritage and diverse art forms but modernization is killing these traditions. The skill is no longer being passed down to generations as the parents in the rural areas are keen on sending their children to cities for a better life. NGOs like CCI (Crafts Council of India) are keeping the art-forms alive by taking the responsibility of providing better opportunities to the kids and not making it necessary for them to completely move away from their roots. Taking an initiative here and enabling these NGOs to function more effectively is noteworthy on part of Shopo.

Another startup, Aporv.com, founded by Sudip Dutta, is also doing phenomenal work in keeping these dying art forms alive and providing a means to the artisans.

On a slightly different front, another notable development that is worth mentioning on the occasion of Labour Day is the deployment of MobQuery for labour intensive industries. Hazel Media, the creator of MobQuery, has recently shared its ongoing efforts to put MobQuery, its Data platform using Mobile Devices and Multiple Languages, to use for on-ground labour management and workforce management in industries that deal with a lot of feet on sites and feet on street. This will be helpful to both sides; it can be ensured that labourers are not being overworked and also the employers can keep a tab on the attendance.

Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another. Happy Labour Day!