This ex-Apple techie is helping India's blue-collar workers find jobs

Nirmit Parikh went undercover as a factory hand in Ahmedabad for a few days before the lockdown, to understand the ground realities of grey and blue-collar workers

Thirty-two-year-old Nirmit Parikh went undercover as a factory worker in Ahmedabad for a few days before the lockdown, to understand the ground realities of grey and blue-collar workers. "It is easier to solve problems when you experience them first hand. I have sneaked in multiple times as an electrician or daily-wage earning factory worker. My background as instrumentation and controls engineer comes in handy here," says the Stanford University alumnus.

The result is Apna, his vertical professional application that hosts local communities for drivers, carpenters and welders and provides access to local opportunities, became the perfect platform to seek livelihood