Taking a step forward towards women empowerment, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to establish a special unit, ‘Urja’, for unemployed women. Focussing on women having a distressed past, the council through Urja plans to give them skill training after which they will be employed in a factory setup for production of eatables and other goods of daily use.
The workshop which is slated to open from May at the abandoned canteen of NP Bengali Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Gole Market, will initially have over 30 women working in various departments like production, packaging, systems, sales and accounts. “Any woman who has or will approach the NDMC to be financially independent will be given a job at Urja. They will earn by making different types of pickles, spices (powdered and packed), snacks, natural shampoos and facial cleansers. Wages would be paid to them by the civic body for the initial months after which they will be a part of a full-grown small scale industry,” said Shabnam Kundra, in-charge of Urja and OSD (Education).
Kiosks selling products of Urja shall be available at the civic body’s office, Palika Kendra and in one of its subways at Connaught Place. A mark-up (profit share) of nearly 20 per cent shall be given on all products. “In the introductory months our customers will be mostly NDMC employees. But we are certain that the project is going to be a success and hence, shall expand everywhere. Apart from producing daily essentials the Mahila Urja Unit will also start a professional tiffin service. The eatables produced will be produced in extremely hygienic conditions with less spices and oil. It will be low on calories as well which would make an instant appeal to the
health conscious people,” said
Vidushi Chaturvedi, Director (Education), NDMC. With a capital of Rs10 lakh, the agency has begun installing machines for packaging and grinding among others at the girls’ school canteen in Gole Market.
To start with, the council plans to employ women who are most needy of a job. The first lot that will open the unit largely includes divorced women. “We have a woman who was burnt by her husband and now she cannot find a job because her face is totally distorted. Her husband is in jail and she needs to feed her children. Then we have another who is deaf and mute. Others are mostly divorced, have kids and need money to look after their families. Urja is committed to make their lives meaningful and independent,” added Kundra.
The project is similar to the one started by Tihar Jail where its inmates create an array of products which are later sold at various outlets under the brand name TJ’s.