KOCHI: At a time when it is becoming difficult and also costly to hire masons to construct houses especially in the rural areas, a team of five women from Chellanam is all set to begin their careers in the construction sector.
They have been trained in masonry by the Ernakulam District Gramin Self-Employment Training Centre at Nellad, under the masonry training programme launched by the Union Ministry of Rural Development under PMAY(G).
"The aim is to churn out well-trained labourers for the rural construction industry. The project also aims at creating job opportunities besides constructing quality houses in the rural areas," said Chellanam panchayat authorities.
According to the panchayat authorities, the first project which the team will undertake is building a house for a bedridden elderly woman. "Mariamma Antony has been living with her daughter-in-law and four grandchildren in a hut for the past 19 years. The house is being built under the PMAY(G) scheme. By enlisting the service of the women masons, the labour charge can be saved," said panchayat authorities.
However, when the district panchayat decided to implement the training programme, it was very difficult to get a sufficient number of candidates.
Five women decided to take up the challenge and undergo training. "The certificate we received after the completion of the training programme has stamped us as skilled workers. We no longer have to go in for unskilled jobs which pay less." "We have been trained in jobs that require a certain amount of designing and calculation.
We also realised this training gives us a chance of earning good money," she said. The successful completion of training by Jasmine, Josy Martin, Jonamma, Sharmila and Muthu Pradeesh has instilled confidence in many women in Chellanam.
The training is being given by Chellanam Arattukulangara Justin. According to Jasmine, they can now build compost pits, goat pens, chicken coops, cowsheds, make bricks and also interlock tiles. "We can now easily pave tiles too," she said.