NEW DELHI: After successfully providing a new source of livelihood to Delhi's petty criminals, the government is planning to provide similar employment opportunities to youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir who indulge in stone-pelting.
The National Skill Development Corporation (NCDC) and the Delhi Police started a skill training project in the national capital in August last year.
In the second phase, they are planning to extend the project to other states like Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Sanjeev Beniwal, the Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police told PTI Bhasha that the skill training project, which was initially started in eight police station areas, has now been expanded to 20 police stations.
In the past eight months, 1,555 people have completed the skill training programme and out of them, around 1,100 have got jobs, he said.
Twenty-year-old Rahul (name changed), who was arrested by police on charges of robbery from Kirti Nagar, is now earning a monthly salary of Rs 20,000.
He said that a few years ago, after the death of his father, his mother had to work as a domestic help.
Financial problems forced him to quit studies and get involved in crimes.
"After joining the training, I developed an interest in computers. Last year in March, I was employed as an assistant engineer in a well-established organisation," Rahul said.
Similarly, the 19-year-old daughter of a prisoner is currently working as a nurse in Fortis Hospital with a monthly salary of Rs 16,000.
She said after her father was sentenced to life imprisonment, her mother had to take up odd jobs.
But her life took a different turn, when she decided to join the skill training project.
Beniwal said criminals aged between 16 and 25 years were trained by the NCDC in 45 types of courses.
Under the programme, female family members of the criminals were also trained in tailoring and beautician work, he said.
He said four state governments have recently sent proposals to Delhi Police for starting this skill training initiative in their states.
After getting an approval from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the NCDC and Delhi Police will start working towards this.