PASSING OF ELA BHATT

Ela Bhatt during a session at the McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario in 2013. (Image Credits: Mohan Juneja, MJ-Ela-Bhatt-October-2013, CC BY-SA 3.0)

A pioneer for women's empowerment in India and the founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ela Bhatt passed away on November 3, 2022.

Her inspiring journey started when she joined the Mahatma Gandhi-inspired Textile Labour Association, India's oldest labor union in 1955 after the completion her law degree. She then established SEWA in 1972 with the aim to protect workers in the informal sector, especially poor women who constituted a majority of the workforce.  Under her leadership, SEWA gained official recognition as a labor union by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and has grown into one of the biggest women-led cooperatives with 2.1 million members across 18 Indian states.

Ms. Bhatt was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1986 and was also a member of the advisory panel of various national and international organizations on matters related to anti-poverty and micro-financing programs. Her work and contributions have been recognized globally and she was awarded the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, the Magsaysay award, and the Legion d'honneur.

She has been a true inspiration to many of us at IFPRI.  Her vision for how the poorest women could be empowered through solidarity and sisterhood has truly taken root, with millions of SEWA members showing that they can truly “overcome”.  IFPRI joins the development world, our SEWA sisters, as well as her family and friends in expressing our deep sense of loss. It is our honor to work with SEWA to help carry on Elaben’s legacy.