When Saudi Arabia recently issued its first lot of driving licenses to women, the petite Kerala state was all smiles. We have seen nearly 50 per cent jump in women drivers in the past decade with 1,91,443 new licenses issued in 2017. And the state is all set to zip ahead at top gear when it comes to women driving.
After autorickshaws and buses steered by women, the state government has given the green lights to having women in the driving seats of heavy duty vehicles like container trucks and earth moving machines. The project has seen an enthusiastic response from women.
The idea mooted by the Kudumbashree Mission was immediately taken up by the government early this year. Kudumbashree workers engaged in waste management and other business ventures were depending on male drivers for handling the heavy vehicles required for these purposes. To tide over this difficulty, women drivers can now obtain licenses to drive heavy vehicles. Kudumbashree will function as the nodal agency for the project.
A list of 300 aspiring drivers has been drawn from among the Ayalkoottam members. This includes women who have requested for training in three-wheeler and four-wheeler driving. The number of women requesting for heavy vehicle driving license is expected to go up in the coming months, if the initial response is anything to go by.
Government approved motor driving schools who are equipped to impart training to women have been invited to submit quotations. The first batch will have 100 students. Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), associating with Kudumbashree Mission, is trying to make the training available in every block panchayat in the state.
Women who wish to take up the training are required to be eligible for obtaining a driving license. The training and license will be provided free of cost. The estimated cost of imparting training and obtaining license is Rs 6,600 per person, which will be met by KASE.
Those who complete the training will receive help in finding employment. Loans will be made available to those who venture into self-employment. Kudumbashree will compile and update a list of drivers who complete the training and obtain their licenses.
Women who work in the domestic sector have benefited from Kudumbashree assuming the role of an interface between them and the employers. The same model is expected to be replicated in this project with a rank list of women drivers with heavy vehicle licenses in the offing.
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