A livelihood enhancement programme, the project was launched two years ago in Delhi when Union Minister of State for Women and Child Renuka Chowdhury was the tourism minister. It went into oblivion in the Capital with the travel agents and others preferring male drivers.
However, the project was relaunched in Maharashtra and according to Chowdhury, women cabbies are doing well in that state. There are 56 women who are trained as drivers. They also own the cars they drive and earn between Rs 1,200 and Rs 3,000 a day. Tata Motors has waived the down payment to these women for buying the cars.
Speaking to Business Standard, Chowdhury, who was here to participate in a workshop to bring awareness on fighting discrimination against women, said Project Priyadarshini aimed at enhancing the employment opportunities for women. "The government is now looking for an NGO to partner the initiative,'' she said on the Andhra plans.
About 50 women are already being trained as cabbies in Andhra Pradesh. These women would be groomed in spoken skills, etiquette and self-defence. Besides, they would be trained in aspects relating to hotel, travel, airlines, and shopping to double up as tourist guides.
Meanwhile, the Andhra government has redrawn the list of trades in which training is given to women rescued from trafficking at the Mahila Pranganams, state-run skill enhancement and training centres. "We are offering training in hotel and beauty sectors,'' said women development and child welfare minister N Rajyalakshmi.
Currently, training is offered to women who discontinued studies after Class X in 36 trades. The candidates would be placed after the training.
