Meraqui: Empowering Bharat’s Workforce with Technology, Trust, and Scalable Impact

India stands on the brink of a workforce revolution, poised to contribute 40% of the global labour force by 2050. At the heart of this transformation is Meraqui, a tech-first workforce solutions platform redefining how India’s human capital is sourced, trained, deployed, and empowered. With over 50 million man-hours enabled and ₹4 billion in payroll managed, Meraqui has become a benchmark for dignified, organized employment—especially for India’s frontline and blue-collar workers across Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities.

Founded in 2019 by Dr. Shalin Maheshwari, a former orthopaedic surgeon, and Lalit Singh, a technology leader, Meraqui emerged from a shared vision to create sustainable livelihoods for India’s underserved workforce. Recognized in the “Bharat ke Innovators” series, the duo’s journey reflects a deep-rooted commitment to impact at scale. What started as a staffing initiative has evolved into a holistic, AI-powered ecosystem for workforce management.

Meraqui’s integrated offering spans Workforce-as-a-Service (WaaS), Talent-as-a-Service (TaaS), and Outcome-as-a-Service (OaaS). The company manages everything from sourcing and digital onboarding to payroll, ESI/PF compliance, performance KPIs, and career growth—all powered by proprietary tech such as karam.ai and a low-code operational stack. This full-stack solution helps businesses across logistics, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, telecom, and BFSI streamline their human capital management while empowering workers with access to training, benefits, and financial tools.

With a presence in 28 Indian states and a clientele including Reliance, Infosys, Foxconn, and L&T, Meraqui has bridged 3 lakh+ job seekers to organized work. From 12 to now 36 physical offices, its expansion includes key acquisitions like Inara Training, Meraqui Eduventures, First Mile Consulting, and First Mile Technologies—strengthening both domestic operations and global ambitions. The platform seamlessly connects India’s rural talent pool to Tier 1/2 opportunities and international contracts, unlocking new possibilities for India’s rising workforce.

Bootstrapped and profitable since inception, Meraqui recently secured ₹55 crore in non-dilutive debt to service a ₹1,500 crore order book—demonstrating rare capital efficiency and a robust balance sheet. Its strategic focus includes tech upgrades, skilling infrastructure, worker housing, and financial inclusion products, further deepening its value proposition.

The company’s accolades include recognition from DPIIT as a tax-exempt startup, the CNBC TV18 SME Champion Award, selection as one of eight INDICORNS to cross ₹100 crore revenue with profitability within five years, and features in Forbes India’s DGEMS and CII’s HRTech innovation showcase. These milestones underscore Meraqui’s commitment to transparency, innovation, and sustainable growth.

“Scale is meaningless without trust,” say the founders, reaffirming their belief in localization, empathy, and accountability. Meraqui’s long-term vision is ambitious yet grounded—to build an AI-powered Workforce OS for India, integrating employment, skilling, financial access, and social security into one seamless platform.

Meraqui isn’t just building careers—it’s building a new model of inclusive economic growth for Bharat.