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NCR’s Prayagraj div starts mission to better lives of slum dwellers near rail tracks
Prayagraj division of NCR, Bharat Scouts and Guides and Rag Dreams’ Weavers Association have inked a memorandum of understanding
The Prayagraj division of the North Central Railway (NCR) has launched a noble mission aimed at transforming the lives of the slum dwellers residing near the railway tracks for years. To provide education and good life to the children of these slum dwellers, the NCR has prepared a detailed plan under Bharat Rail Vidya Fellowship initiative, say railway officials aware of the move.
For this, Prayagraj division of NCR, Bharat Scouts and Guides and Rag Dreams’ Weavers Association (RDWA) signed a memorandum of understanding on October 27, they added.
In most of the cities, thousands of people live by building huts around the railway tracks that slowly take shape of slums with hundreds of huts and residents. The children living here are unable to pursue education and often beg to supplement the earnings of their families.
Under the initiative, Prayagraj division of NCR has selected five major cities in the first phase including Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Kanpur, Tundla and Aligarh.
A joint team of Bharat Scouts and Guides and RDWA under the leadership of railway personnel of Prayagraj division will first prepare a list of people living near the railway tracks in slums and make-shift huts. After this, children of these families will be admitted to schools.
For little children, classes will also be held near their homes. Details of family income will also be collected. The residents will also be given employment opportunities and information to make their lives better. Likewise, unwell members of these families will be taken to hospitals and will be given the needed treatment. They will be motivated towards cleanliness and will be given items of daily use, said PRO, NCR’s Prayagraj division, Amit Singh.
The initiative is the brainchild of Sagar Sisodia, a dedicated Gandhian, and her mother Mamta Sisodia, who initiated RDWA in 2019. With the unwavering support of at least 50 dedicated members, the RDWA has been working with hundreds of street-connected children in Aligarh and Tundla. Their remarkable efforts have earned recognition at both the national and global levels. RDWA envisions a compassionate society where every child gets the opportunity to rewrite their own story.
“The Bharat Rail Vidya Fellowship programme is centered around the ingenious use of unutilised spaces within the railway vicinity, serving as hubs for education and empowerment for thousands of street children,” Singh said. “This initiative also seeks to nurture capable young individuals who will actively contribute to the social development initiatives of North Central Railways,” he added.
