NDMC to help women cabbies with easy loans

30 women being trained as taxi drivers, 6 ready to roll

Women drivers who have got training at NDMC technical institute will be helped by the civic agency to get loans of up to Rs 10 lakh for buying their own taxis.

“We are in talks with the State Bank of India to help the women drivers get Rs 10 lakh loans, without collateral guarantees, under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana,” said NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar.

The proposal would first benefit six women who have acquired a commercial driving licence.

As part of the “Shakti” project for an all-women cab service a  batch of 30 women are undergoing driving training, said Kumar.

“Apart from the six women commercial driving licence holders, 24 other women are at different stages of honing their skills,” he said.

As part of employment generation initiatives of the civic agency, Kumar also unveiled the plan to open an incubator for IT industry shall also be opened in Mayur Bhawan in Connaught Place where innovators would be able to take space on lease for a maximum of two years.

Kumar said the incubator shall be spread over 10,000 square feet and provide a “complete suite of incubation services”.

He said the civic agency would tie up with the Software Technology Parks of India – an autonomous society under Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology – to share its expertise in providing incubation service.

 The civic agency, which serves an area spread over 43 square kilometre that houses VIPs, embassies, monuments and iconic buildings like Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament, also plans to set up three skill training centres in collaboration with the National Skill Development Council.

“This will be an initiative under the skilling India drive,” said Kumar.
Infrastructure of Women Technical Institute will also be upgraded on the lines of world-class skill centre in Vivek Vihar, for job-oriented skills, he said.

The civic agency also plans to transform subways into vibrant spaces with ATMs and signature advertising panels.

“Space in seven subways in Connaught Place would be offered only to Public Sector Banks for setting up e-banking facilities,” said the chief of a civic agency which  serves a population of about 2.5 lakh as per the 2011 census.