First batch with 38 women starts Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) license training at Society of Drivers Training Institute at Burari
180 women to be trained Under ‘Mission Parivartan’ in 5 batches
Trainees will also receive training on public relations, vehicle repair and maintenance, first aid etc
New Delhi:
The Kejriwal Government has started the training of women for obtaining Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) licenses at its Drivers training Institute at Burari. These women, after complete training, will be equipped to drive Delhi government buses under its public transportation fleet. The training for the first batch of 38 female candidates was inaugurated by the Minister of Transport Shri Kailash Gahlot at Society for Driving Training Institute (SDTI), Burari, Delhi today. The program is a part of a larger initiative of the Transport Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi to induct Women Drivers to drive DTC/Cluster buses in Delhi to promote women safety in the public transport. The initiative also aims to give employment opportunities to Women in Delhi, the capital city of India. Commissioner of Transport, MD Delhi transport corporation (DTC), MD DIMTS and senior officials of Ashok Leyland were also present during the event.
The initiative is being implemented as a joint venture between Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Ashok Leyland Limited to facilitate end to end training to 180 women candidates and to facilitate them to obtain driving license of HMV category. Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) under its CSR support has signed an MOU with the Society for Driving Training Institute (SDTI) to implement this program. The Women Drivers will be imparted competency training including skill test by experts in the said institute, which includes both classroom training and bus driving. The Women Drivers will also be provided additional training on basic computer knowledge. The duration of training will be 30 days towards competence to drive the bus including skill test. The training will be imparted to eligible female candidates in 05 batches.
The Transport Department in collaboration with DIMTS has been implementing an initiative called Mission Parivartan – Empowering women by creating Women HMV Drivers, to link Women with Skill Development Programs and create a job opportunity. Mission Parivartan and Women Driven Public Transport services is to create respect and open huge doors of Opportunity & self-employment for women in Delhi. The objective of the Program is to create a pool of Trained Women HMV Drivers in Delhi and to create respect and open huge doors of Opportunity & self-employment for women in Delhi.
SDTI Burari had already mobilized 100 plus women and Learner’s license was issued to 40 plus women for this program so that the first batch of Training program can start immediately. The women selected for the program already have LMV license and aspire to take Heavy Vehicle driving as their profession. Women shortlisted for the program were mobilized, keeping in mind to uplift their standard of living and create better job opportunities for them.
The selection criteria of female candidate for training program are provided below:
The candidates below poverty line (BPL category) will be given priority.
The candidate should be resident of Delhi
The candidate should be a holder of a valid LMV license, a pre-qualification for upgradation to HMV category.
The candidate should meet the medical standard as mandated by law for women category (the height criteria and requirement of at least 03 years HMV license has been relaxed for female drivers by Transport Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi.
Under this programme the trainees will also receive training on Vehicle mechanisms and repairs, medium and heavy duty driving, traffic education, public relations and people skills, training on fire hazards first aid and Vehicle maintenance.
During the event the Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot interacted with the women drivers and encouraged them to motivate generations of women drivers to come. The women drivers shared their experiences, their aspirations from the programme and their enthusiasm to drive Delhi’s buses. Shri Kailash Gahlot addressed the women drivers “Under CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership Delhi in the past few years has been taking huge measures to promote women’s participation in transport. We’ve brought in changes to recruitment rules and reduced experience and height eligibility criteria for women. Our new buses are low floor, automatic and very easy to drive, and we are confident of seeing more women drivers in the coming years.”