About Us

Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited is India’s first sex workers’ financial cooperative — built by sex workers, for sex workers, and led by sex workers.

About us

Embracing Humanity: A Tale of Warmth and True Support

Usha was founded in 1995 in Sonagachi, Kolkata, growing out of the Sexual Health and HIV Intervention Programme (SHIP), where public health expert Dr. Smarajit Jana saw firsthand how sex workers were shut out of formal banking. With no identification or residential proof accepted by banks, women were forced to borrow from moneylenders and madams at exploitative rates, trapping them in cycles of debt. Dr. Jana and community leaders came together with a simple conviction: the community needed a financial institution of its own. That conviction became Usha, formally registered on 21 June 1995 (Regd. 6/Cal) under the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Central Zone, Kolkata.
Thirty years on, Usha operates across every district of West Bengal, with branch offices in Basirhat, Titagarh, Siliguri, Asansol, Kalna, Domjur, and Sheoraphuli, and rehabilitation infrastructure in Baruipur. Older sex workers and daughters of sex workers are prioritized in Usha’s own workforce, so the cooperative’s growth directly strengthens the community it serves.

About us

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What We Do

Financial Services

Savings and low-interest loans on fair, accessible terms for members long excluded from formal banking.

Health Interventions

HIV services, ART follow-up, telehealth, and health education tailored to the community’s needs.

Social Empowerment

training on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and legal rights, including awareness of Supreme Court rulings that protect sex workers.

Skills Development & Entrepreneurship

vocational training and market linkages that help members build sustainable, independent livelihoods.

Community Governance

A nine-member Board of Directors, all drawn from the sex worker community and elected through a two-tier electoral system, guided by a Special Officer appointed by the Government of West Bengal.

SHG Group Development

Delivered through two-day interactive workshops using psychology-based learning, savings simulations, and collaborative five-year business planning exercises.

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Space Adventures

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Launch Opportunities

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Orbital Accommodations

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Astronaut Training

Prepare for the ultimate cosmic odyssey through rigorous astronaut training programs.

Celestial Sightseeing

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Spacecraft Excursions

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Space Photography

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Galactic Events

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