Women Welfare / Development

Kudumbasree’s masons all set to enter construction industry

Wednesday, 19 March 2014 05:34 administrator

The Hindu 19.03.2014

Kudumbasree’s masons all set to enter construction industry

M.P. Praveen

Kudumbasree members undergo masonry training in Kochi.— PHOTO: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

On successfully creating a pool of women engineers and supervisors in a largely male-dominated construction sector, the Kudumbasree Mission in the district is all set to expand its presence in the sector by training women in allied activities.

The mission is now focused on training skilled masons, plumbers and electricians. A 90-day training in masonry for the first batch of 30 women has been completed and the second batch of 25 women is set to complete training this month-end. Ten of those who completed training are undergoing internship while many among the rest are doing independent works.

As part of their practical training, Kudumbasree members constructed three houses at Panayikkulam near Aluva. The houses are pucca houses and could be sold by the agency concerned, a senior Kudumbasree official in the district told The Hindu .

An agency based in Ettumanoor was roped in to create the module of training and to execute it. The same agency has been entrusted with training plumbers and electricians.

The masons trained under the programme will be roped in for projects to be undertaken by the construction wing of Kudumbasree, thereby helping them gain more experience and get more works.

A pool of 37 engineers and supervisors trained by Kitco and split into three teams is now equipped to take up construction assignments.

The agreement for their first assignment, a project to construct houses for scheduled communities at Edakkattuvayal, is likely to be signed soon after the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 10.

The training module for plumbers and electricians has already been prepared. Training will start only after the elections to avoid violation of the model code of conduct in force.

Applications are being sought from aspiring candidates through the neighbourhood Kudumbasree units. Attitude and aptitude for the job are paramount considerations. The Kudumbasree Mission is looking to train a batch of 20 plumbers and 20 electricians initially,

The Ernakulam branch of the mission was the first to initiate training for engineers, supervisors, masons, plumbers and electricians. Now, Wayanad and Palakkad units are planning to launch training programmes in masonry.

The district unit of the mission has concluded training for supervisors and engineers in the construction sector for the time being. The project was implemented with the aid of Hudco and it would be resumed only if someone offered assistance, the official said.

Mayor interacts with Self-help Groups

Wednesday, 05 February 2014 07:36 administrator

The Hindu 05.02.2014

Mayor interacts with Self-help Groups

Special Correspondent

Mayor Mohd. Majid Hussain on Tuesday said that he would approach various national banks and request them to open a separate bank for women in Ahmednagar division.

He also proposed a pilot project with a focus on women’s welfare, healthcare, skill development, livelihood training and economic empowerment.

At an interaction programme with SHG women, Mr. Hussain said the proposed ‘Project 72’ plans to involve every household in various schemes and develop the division with the help of non-governmental organisations in Ahmednagar Ward 72.

He also sought establishment of a Mee Seva centre in the division for the convenience of citizens.

Nampally MLA Virasat Rasool Khan and GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar and others participated in the interaction programme, according to a press release.

Building inspected

GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar along with Malakpet MLA, Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala on Tuesday inspected the Chanchalguda women’s jail and directed the officials to take up works on junction improvement at the prison compound wall, and repairing and widening of roads.

Kozhikode corporation moots taxi service for women

Monday, 06 January 2014 09:39 administrator

The Times of India 06.01.2014

Kozhikode corporation moots taxi service for women

KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode corporation is planning to introduce a 24-hour taxi and auto service for women within its limits.

The proposal has been mooted under the development of women and children sector for the 2014-2015 financial year. The project aims to introduce at least one auto service each in all 75 wards and taxi services to help women in the wake of growing atrocities against them.

The state government and the civic body will help in funding the service to be owned and run by women. The corporation is also planning to give driving lessons to women selected for operating the service.

The social welfare standing welfare committee chairman M Radhakrishnan said the civic body wanted to introduce one auto each in 75 wards. "We will start the service only after a feasibility study," he said.

"The project will be introduced through Kudumbashree. The beneficiaries of the scheme will receive subsidies from the state government and civic body. The rest of the amount will be provided as bank loan," he said.

"A decision regarding the number of taxi services and total allocation will be finalized after compiling suggestions from the ongoing ward-level conventions," he said.

"The service will be a great help for women who reach the city at odd hours. The service should operate from the main bus stands and railway stations," opined P Kavitha from Meenchanda.

"At present, we ask our family members to pick us up from the station. The service will help girl students studying in other states who reach the city late," she said.

GHMC to Train 500 Poor Women Cab Drivers

Thursday, 26 December 2013 10:00 administrator

The New Indian Express 26.12.2013

To empower and generate employment for poor and marginalised women, the GHMC has decided to provide training to 500 women as cab drivers soon.

GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar will convene a meeting on December 26 with a motor driving school, Raksha Motor Driving School, which provides training for women in driving taxis.

GHMC officials of Urban Community Development (UCD) wing told Express that a good number of applications have been received by the GHMC in the last few days.

The proposed training would be provided to the candidates till they become proficient in driving.

Women who applied for cab training will be handpicked from poor and marginalised sections of the society to enable them to earn their livelihood. Most number of applications have been received from the Central Zone followed by East Zone and South Zone. About a dozen women also hold driving licenses. Besides technical training, the module also focuses on personal grooming, honing language skills and developing a feeling of empowerment among the women of marginalised sections.

Even in technical training the women would be acquainted with the mechanism of a car and taught to change flat tyres and fix minor problems, officials said.

GHMC will make efforts for their placements in companies, call centres, other government departments that require women cab drivers.

GHMC to train women cab drivers

Tuesday, 26 November 2013 11:19 administrator

The Times of India 26.11.2013

GHMC to train women cab drivers

HYDERABAD: If GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar has his way, the city will soon see women cab drivers.

Speaking to the media after the weekly Prajavani (public grievances) programme on Monday, the city civic chief said two training centres in each of the five zones will be set up for women cab drivers by the end of December this year. After training, the women will be employed by the various private taxi companies, he said.

In other issues, the commissioner directed officers to ensure that the birth and death certificates are duly issued at all the Citizen Service Centres, especially in circles 8 and 10.

The service is also available at Mee Seva centres, he said adding that the directive follows complaints of some Citizen Service Centres not issuing certificates to the citizens.

Kumar admitted that many roads damaged from incessant rain were not repaired as sanctions for the same were being issued at the circle level. However, they would be taken up soon, he added. Kumar said he and other officials visited Barcelona recently to discuss arrangements for the World Congress Metropolis which is scheduled to be held in the city from October 7 to 10 next year.

The corporation would come up with an action plan within the next 15 days on the venue, organizer and budget, he said. The Secretary General of Metropolis, Allex Saux would visit the city in January to finalize various issues of the event, he added.

More Articles...