Building new lives

A construction firm and an NGO give a new lease of life to lost kids.

When Ram Krishna deserted his house at an early age of seven years following frequent petty quarrel between his parents, he never anticipated ending his career in bright.

With just a few pennies in his pocket, Ram Krishna is now earning a handful of money courtesy, the Salaam Balak Trust that took care of his education while country's leading infrastructure developer DS Constructions absorbed him to a comfortable position as per an agreement it had sealed with the Trust.

The construction major, in order to uplift the economically and socially backward strata of society, has sealed a pact with the Salaam Balak Trust (SBT), a UN recognised charitable trust, to employ 10 per cent of its workforce from the Trust. While the company plans to employ 10 per cent at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway once the project is completed, it had already absorbed 10 per cent of the workforce from SBT at the Raipur-Durg toll collection counters in Chhattisgarh.

Ram Krishna is one among the 11 persons employed by the company in Chhattisgarh from the trust. At an age of seven, Ram Krishna deserted his house in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh as he was fed up with the frequent quarrel between his parents over petty issues. With no ambition and a pall prospect for a bright career, he reached Delhi with no plan on card. The incident, Ram Krishna recalls, is of 1995.

"I was in the station when the volunteers of the SBT came and accompanied me to the hostel," Ram Krishna says. He joined the mainstream of education under the programme of the SBT"" an NGO working for the betterment of street children with special emphasis to help these children develop into informed, capable and responsible citizens of the nation and the world.

The trust attempts to restore to these poor kids the joys of childhood and the charm of a professional life, which they missed out in their early days. To make sure that their goal is accomplished, SBK has engaged with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formal schools etc.

Ram Krishna completed his school education and later obtained basic computer training before he joined DS Constructions two years ago. He was imparted a training of two months to operate the hi-tech systems at the toll collection centre.

Ram Krishna now earns Rs 9,600 per month "" a dream that he had never imagined would come true while boarding the train from Sagar to Delhi twelve years ago.

"DS Constructions pact with SBT to provide employment avenues to the underprivileged would not only give young, educated and efficient workforce to the company but also provide a steady source of livelihood to the underprivileged section of society," General Manager of DS Constructions Rafi Khan says.

The toll plaza on the 27-kms Raipur-Durg four-lane managed by the company is the first to translate the pact of DS Constructions and the SBT into action. However, the company would continue with the practices in all its on-going and coming projects in the country.