House helps can now get BMC training and certification

Mumbai In an innovative move and one that will help give enhanced opportunities to women workers in the informal sector, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to train domestic helps and women from lower-income groups in cooking and medical attendant work

Mumbai In an innovative move and one that will help give enhanced opportunities to women workers in the informal sector, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to train domestic helps and women from lower-income groups in cooking and medical attendant work. The women will get certificates on the completion of their seven-day course.

House helps can now get BMC training and certification

The eligibility standards set by the civic body mandate that the women should hold yellow or orange ration cards and be currently earning less than ₹1 lakh per annum. They should be in the age group of 18 to 45 years and have studied up to at least Class 8. The house helps will be trained in skills specific to the job and given lessons in hygiene. Once certified, the certificate will be attached to their Aadhaar cards where their credentials can be checked by prospective employers.

Prashant Sapkale, assistant commissioner in charge of the planning department, told HT that the budget for the scheme would come from the central government ministry for women and child development. Gender budgeting, as it is known, aims to give more economic opportunities to women workers, and this is what the BMC project is focusing on. The civic body has roped in consultants from Ernst and Young, and is looking to the Taj group of hotels to provide training to cooks from the lower economic strata.

“This is a neglected sector but there is a huge demand from working women for domestic workers who can cook,” Sapkale said. “We believe that Mumbaikars would certainly want to hire trained cooks certified by the BMC. This is a one-of-its-kind experiment and if it works, it will be beneficial for both employers and domestic helps. Our aim is specifically to help improve the living standards of the latter.”

In its letter to the Taj group of hotels, the BMC has stated that it aims to increase gender parity in the employment sector in Mumbai and is exploring opportunities where women fit in well and can gain “credible experience”. “The BMC requests (you) for a meeting to explore such opportunities and understand the modalities of the same,” stated the BMC’s letter to the Taj group, where the Taj management has been requested to meet the additional municipal commissioner and civic team. “This collaboration could be well-knit, where BMC would bring in beneficiaries and Taj hotels could provide them with on-job training translating into solid formal employment. The nuances of making the partnership model in social upgradation will be discussed further once we know your willingness to join hands,” added the letter.

A civic official from the planning department who is handling this project said, “We will ask the Taj if it can design a course solely for the BMC through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department. The cooks can even launch a food delivery business from home after completing the Taj training. The BMC will fund it.” Adds Sapkale, “If the Taj agrees to collaborate with us, we will issue a joint certificate to the cooks who train with us.”

The BMC will also train medical attendants or ayahs to take care of the elderly, another sector where workers are in huge demand. “These women will be trained in assisting the aged, reading prescriptions, giving medication and even calling doctors and emergency numbers. They too will be certified after completing a seven-day training module,” said Sapkale, who said that chief minister Eknath Shinde’s son, Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde, has been sounded off on this project.

The civic body is targeting a minimum of 50 to 100 house helps for training from each of its 227 councillor wards. It will provide the venue and materials necessary to provide quality training. Each ward will have a list of certified domestic workers, and employers interested in hiring them can approach the community development officers (CDOs) of the ward. “We are keen to make this happen in three months,” added the civic official.

The BMC is planning to advertise its training schemes in newspapers, said Sapkale. “Politicians and 227 corporators will then be roped in to create awareness,” he added.