IE : The BMC will open Adhar Kendras to employe youths to provide vocational courses : Nov 13,2007

Soon, BMC service centres to fix leaking taps, fused bulbs
The civic body will open Aadhar Kendras to employ youths and provide them training in vocational courses
SHWETA DESAIIN CASE you need a plumber to fix a leaking tap or an electrician to change the bulbs in your house, you are in for some good news. Soon, citizens will have access to skilled labour under one roof with the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) planning to open centres to employ youths and provide them training in vocational courses.

According to Jyoti Pandya, chief community development officer, Urban Poverty Eradication cell, the first of such centres, called Aadhar Kendra, will be opened in Vile Parle and Andheri on a pilot basis by Decemberend. She said the project has taken shape after a long wait. The BMC had been training unemployed men and women in vocational courses and was undertaking work for a few individuals and companies. However, these works were scattered and seasonal, she added.

Although the civic body has identified 10 locations for Aadhar Kendras, initially two will be opened on a pilot basis.

“This is for the first time that the BMC will be opening sales and service centres and at the same time will provide a common platform for trained people,” Pandya said. Aadhar Kendras will provide services like carpentry, plumbing, repairing household appliances, tailoring and beauty treatments. She added that this initiative would bridge the gap between unemployed skilled labourers and the prospective customers. “These Aadhar Kendras will provide employment opportunities to unemployed youths and destitute women besides providing services to needy customers at their door step,” she said.

The BMC will be providing area, infrastructure and machinery for these kendras which will be run by community development societies that work for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in each ward. There are 16 such societies in the city registered with the charity commissioner who work for 27,966 BPL families. The civic body will not have any share in the profits made by these kendras, however, 10 per cent of the revenue earned will be given to these soci eties.

Though such Aadhar Kendras have already been set-up by the Pune Municipal Corporation, Pandya said it was the lack of space that hampered prospects of opening such centres in the city for all these years. “Now we have managed to get some space for the centres from private builders under reserved accommodation,” she said.

To avail the services of Aadhar Kendra, citizens can either visit these centres or can call up and ask for the required service. The Kendra will also have a rate card displayed on its board specifying the charges of services offered. “The rates of services will be nominal,” said Pandya.

To avoid any kind of suspicion, BMC will provide identity cards to the workers of the Kendra. Pandya said that all the security measures will be undertaken to ensure safety to the citizens as the workers will be visiting their houses. “These workers will be registered with the police as well as the BMC to avoid any untoward incident,” she said.

 

Publication : IE; Section : MN; Pg : 5; Date : 13/11/2007

URL : http://epaper.indianexpress.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=13_11_2007_525_003&typ=0&pub=320